Panacea
by Bawks
Summary: Panacea, a cure-all and remedy for all ills. Holly, a contented but restless woman is thrust into Middle-Earth to uncover her past. After many years as Marchwarden of the Golden Wood, Haldir searches for something new and exciting in his long life. Though they share a tenuous friendship at first, will Holly and Haldir find what they are looking for in each other? Not a 10th walker!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Holly dropped her keys on the ground, fumbling with them with her only free hand. Her other hand held a travel tumbler of coffee, a muffin balanced precariously on the lid. She sighed and put the coffee cup on the ground beside her and bent down to pick up her keys. Just as she managed to stick the key in the lock, the door swung open and Holly lost her balance and knocked over her cup.

"Jesus, Heather! I spilled my coffee!" she exclaimed, frowning at the precious liquid all over the pavement. Her sister smiled apologetically,

"Sorry, Hol. I didn't know you were coming in now, I would have left the door unlocked." Heather bent over to grab the muffin, blowing on it softly, and handed it back to her sister, "Good as new!"

Holly took it from her and took a big bite, "S'all good."

The sisters entered the store. Holly and Heather ran a small botanical shop on the town high street. They sold salves, soaps, essential oils and other handmade herbal remedies. In fact, the store was Heather's. Holly had joined the 'team' to help her sister with inventory, and two years later she could still be found tidying the shelves and preparing new concoctions for their loyal clientele. Truth be told, Holly liked the simple life of running their small store. She had just finished her studies when she had come back to their home town to help her sister. She had meant to take a couple of months off before jumping into her riveting career as an archivist for the municipal government when Heather had asked her to help out over a long weekend to catalogue and organize her shop's inventory. Holly had agreed and somehow never left.

 _"Holly, please help me! The store is a mess and I just need an extra pair of hands for the weekend. I promise never to bother you again! Next weekend is the biggest selling day of the year and I'm miles from being ready!"_

"I'm going to work on the Calendula salves today, is that okay with you?" Holly asked after swallowing her last bite of muffin, "I want to get them done before the petals dry out too much."

"Sounds good to me. I'll start with cutting the batch of soap I set out yesterday." Heather replied before ducking under the counter to get the large tray of hardened soap. Holly caught the scent of lavender and sage, her favourite combination. She breathed in deeply, letting the soothing odor fill her nostrils.

The shop was simply laid out. There was a large display that filled the bay window at the front of the shop. It was adorned with hanging bunches of dried herbs and flowers. On a large swathe of linen fabric laid a sampling of their offerings. In the centre of the room there was a large work station; a counter of white and grey granite over white birch cabinets and shelves. Built-in shelves covered the two side walls, filled with products for sale. The back wall was decorated with charts and hand-drawn pictures of herbs and flowers (Heather was a gifted artist and had done the sketches herself). There was a door that led to a back store room and office space where Heather often took care of the administration of the shop. Holly stuck to the front of house, chatting with customers and preparing products.

Heather had opened the shop after the birth of her third child. She had thought about returning to her job as an accountant, but her husband Jared had encouraged her to follow her dream of opening the botanical shop. Growing up and well into their adulthood, Heather was always suggesting natural remedies for all of Holly's simple ailments.

 _"A homemade toner of Witch Hazel would take care of those spots!"_

Holly was six years younger than her sister. Heather had married young and started a family. Holly had dilly-dallied in school, flip-flopping from field of study to field of study, and never settled down with a serious partner. Something always held her back, kept her behind and feeling lost. Heather had tried several times to help her sister find her passion. Her two years at the shop were the longest that Holly had ever spent doing anything in her twenty-four years. Still, the two sisters were very close and Holly could not have been more pleased with Heather's happiness. Heather had it all, and Holly was happy for her. Still, she couldn't help but feel like she was still looking for something of her own.

It was on this rather innocuous day in her sister's shop that Holly's life changed forever. It was among the salves and herbs and soaps that Holly felt inspired to take a walk that evening. She would go to her favourite spot on the hill outside of town and read, as was a common pastime of hers. She would bring a thermos of tea and her new favourite book, and she would read until the sun crept below the horizon and she was forced to go home. These summer months were to be cherished and enjoyed before the chill of autumn set in.

* * *

The air was heavy and warm, there was no breeze. Holly left her sweater and home and threw some ice cubes into her thermos to cool the hot tea. Too hot for a day like today. She grabbed her book and made for the door of her small apartment.

The walk to the hill took about a half an hour. As she walked she observed her neighbours, their families and their children enjoying the warm summer night. She smiled to herself as a dog pulled its owner forcefully on an evening walk. She walked down the main street of the town and down to the small, two-lane motorway that led out of town. Five minutes down the side of the quiet motorway, she found the break in the trees that led her into the forest and down the well-trodden path to the hill. It was darker in the forest and she squinted her eyes to adjust to the dim light. She walked further into the dense foliage, pushing branches and bushes out of her way as she moved. The forest had grown considerably this spring, she thought.

She made her way further down the path, straining to see the exit between the trees that would lead her out of the woods and into the open field on the other side. The hill rested but a hundred yards into the open plain. She frowned when she could not make out the field in the distance. The trees seemed denser ahead than behind. She turned around, looking at the path behind her and looking back to the motorway. She could still see the black asphalt of the road. She turned forward again, looking for the hill. Still she could not see, but she pressed onward thinking her view was obstructed by the forest.

Holly continued for what seemed like too long. She couldn't help but feel like she was perhaps lost, and yet the path was clear behind her, sill pointing in the same direction forward. Suddenly, the sun peaked from behind a cloud and its warm orange glow illuminated the forest around her, providing her with an improved view of her surroundings. She looked upward in awe. The trees had grown tall, taller than she could believe was possible. Their trunks were wide and strong, their leaves broad and golden in the light of the setting sun. Holly marveled at the sight before her. Though spectacular, the forest around her was not familiar to her. It felt foreign and sublime at the same time.

Holly began to fear that she was, in fact, very lost. She wasn't sure how it was possible in the tiny forest that ran along the edge of town. She cursed to herself,

"Heather always says to take a compass. She was probably right."

She began to grow thirsty and tired. She did know how long she had been walking now. She paused, leaning against one of the great trees to take a drink from her thermos. The tea had cooled to a pleasant temperature. She looked back behind her and decided that she would not be reading tonight and that it was time to go home. Holly made her way back down the path and toward the road.

She walked again for what seemed like a very long time, her feet surely following the well-worn path on the forest floor. She began to panic when she could not see the road ahead. She stopped to listen for the sound of occasional cars in the distance but heard nothing but the hoots of owls and the chirping of crickets and cicadas. It was starting to get cold and dark. The sun had set and Holly was scared. The wind picked up and her hair was blown about her face by a stiff breeze. She shivered in her light t-shirt and rubbed her arms for warmth. She was growing very tired. The dense canopy of leaves prevented the rising moonlight from illuminating her path. Holly could barely see ahead of her and she stumbled over roots and rocks as she trod heavily along the path. A thick root, hidden beneath dried leaves and ferns put itself in the way of her weary footfalls and Holly went face-first into the soft forest floor. Her knee scraped against a large rock and she felt the stinging burn of broken flesh.

"Ouch." she whimpered to herself quietly. She stood slowly and sat on the offending rock, rolling up her pant leg to inspect the wound. She could not see clearly where she was so she hobbled over to a large tree under a break in the treetops. There was a little light there, she could perhaps assess the damage. She leaned against the tree and stuck her bad leg out in front of her. It did not look bad but it would need to be cleaned. Holly sat there for a moment, contemplating her predicament. She debated getting up and pressing forward into the woods to find a way out, but the forest was pitch black and clearly dangerous at this hour of low visibility.

 _I guess I'll have to spend the night,_ she thought to herself ruefully, biting her lip with worry. Holly laid her head down on the soft leaves that dusted the forest floor, shivering and scared, waiting for sleep to take her.

* * *

When Holly woke, it was thankfully light out. It seemed early, by the dimly blue hue of the morning light. She dusted off her pants and arms as she got up and looked around her. The path was still clear ahead of her and she continued down toward what she thought ought to be the road.

Feeling in remarkably good spirits this morning, she was looking forward to returning to her apartment and falling _hard_ onto her bed. She had not slept comfortably on the forest floor, obviously. It was growing warmer as she walked, but it was still much cooler than it had been the previous afternoon. Indeed, the temperature had dropped dramatically in the short hours that she had been outside.

Suddenly, and without any warning, a figure seemed to fall from the sky and land deftly in front of her. Within seconds, there was a dagger pointed at her throat and large body blocking her path. Startled and shocked, Holly looked down the dagger and to the hand that held it, up its arm and at the face of her attacker.

"Who are you and what is your business in the Golden Wood?", the man asked threateningly. Holly scanned his face. A stern expression was plastered on his handsome features. His hair was long, as long as hers, pulled back from his face in braids and silver and glinting. His eyes were a piercing grey, hardened by what seemed to be anger. "Speak!", he demanded, pushing the dagger further into the soft flesh of her neck.

Holly's darted around in panic, looking for an exit. There was none. He was not alone, she was surrounded by men at every angle. Men? She thought. Despite her brain screaming at her that it was impossible, they did not seem...human. Each...thing was clad similarly in grey-brown leather leggings, leather boots and a grey tunic. Many wore grey cloaks that hung long about their legs, quivers on their backs and arrows pointed at her in suspicion. The attacker before her wore the same garb as his companions, save for his tunic, which was a deep muted green. She looked back at this threatening eyes, searching for the rights words. Her eyes flickered to the side of his face to his ears. Holly's eyes began to blur and her sight grew dark as her brain parsed through the impossible sights before her. His ears were pointed, he was not human, and with that staggering thought, Holly abruptly lost consciousness.

Haldir sighed, looking at the woman crumpled on the floor in front of him. He waved his hand behind him, "Rúmil, Taurnil, pick her up and carry her back to the guard post."

 _She can scarcely be a threat while unconscious,_ he thought. When she woke, he would find out exactly who she was and what exactly she was doing here.

A/N: Back after a VERY long hiatus (think about 6 years). First attempt at a new story. Please review if you enjoy :) I will try to post something new tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Holly awoke in small room with wide wooden floor boards and paneled walls. She was laying on a thin mattress, a soft grey pillow under her head. There was little else in the room. A small basin sat in the corner, and beside that, her book and thermos. She propped herself up on her elbows and felt a slight sting as she moved her leg. There was the scrape from yesterday. It was still red and raw, but she could see that a thin layer of ointment had been applied to it. She sniffed it but could not quite make out its scent, unusual for one of her profession.

Slowly she came to her feet and made her way over to the door. As she took her first step forward, the door swung open and two of the strange men walked in hurriedly. She looked at them expectantly. They both had the same long, silver hair as the men she had seen yesterday. At first, she could hardly tell them apart. Both were fair and tall, with fine features as though they had been hewn from alabaster. As one came closer to her, she could see that while he had blue eyes, his companion had grey-green eyes. Again, she noticed their pointed ears and grew nervous.

 _"Le nathlof hi, hiril vuin."_ said one of the men, approaching Holly slowly. He put his hand over his heart and bowed his head slightly. His green-eyed companion mimicked his action and looked expectantly at her.

Although not understanding their strange language, Holly recognized the bow of their heads and and smiled cautiously at them. The man that spoke furrowed a brow at her lack of response but continued to speak,

 _"Im R_ _ù_ _mil. Alphado nin."_ he gestured to himself and made to move back toward the door. Holly jumped at his quick movement.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak your language. Do you speak English?"

The man stared at her, confused. His companion spoke quietly in his ear and the other man nodded slowly, realization adorning his handsome features. Suddenly, the man furthest from her made his way toward the door and down what sounded to Holly to be steps. She clasped her hands in front of her, wringing them nervously. The man who had stayed in the room smiled a small smile at her in what she believed was an attempt to be comforting. He put his hands out in front of him,

 _Wait._ She understood and nodded at him. He turned toward the door. Holly could hear a third set of footsteps climbing the stairs. The door swung open and in walked the man from before, and another familiar face. It was the man that had attacked her last night. She must have looked panicked because he quickly put his hands in front of him in a sign of caution,

"Please, I mean you no harm." he spoke. Glad she could understand someone, Holly breathed a sigh of relief. Half a second later, the panic had set back in,

"Who are you? Why are you keeping me here? How come they don't understand me?" she demanded in succession. The man's eyes hardened at her questions,

"Who are _you?"_ he asked pointedly. "We are not keeping you here, you collapsed before me. And as for why they do not understand you, how is it that you do not understand them? Never have I met an elf who did not speak Sindarin."

Holly stared at him as though he had grown a second head. "Sinda...what? What are you talking about? Elf? What is this, some kind of joke? Did Heather put you up to this?"

He stared at her incredulously, "You are of the Eldar, are you not? I can sense that you are."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Elves are made-up, they don't exist." she waved her hand dismissively at his comment and demanded again to know where she was and what they wanted with her. His eyes grew instantly very dark and he took two long, measured paces toward her until he was looking down at her from a formidable height.

"You are a stranger in our wood. We followed you for several miles before we stopped you entering the city. You dare to command me when you are the trespasser in these lands? Nay, I demand to know who _you_ are, what _you_ are doing here and _where_ you hail from. Speak quickly!"

Holly stared up at him with wide hazel eyes. She was frightened of him. He was intimidatingly tall and clearly incensed by her impetuous questions. Realizing that she was vastly outnumbered and would probably do well to cooperate, she chose her next words rather carefully, "My name is Holly. I am from Shipton, down the road I was trying to get back to. I was walking in the wood last evening to read on the hill. I got lost in the forest, though I'm not sure how, before you...happened upon me."

The man before her considered her response before answering, "Where is Shipton? We do not know of such a place, and you are far into our borders. There are no towns by that name nearby. From where do your people hail? Are you of Imladris? Eryn Galen? Or do you come from the North?"

Holly bit her lip, realizing that her answer would not be helpful, "I don't know where any of those places are, I am sorry."

He looked utterly exasperated, "You would have me believe that you, an elf, does not know the home of Elrond, lord of Rivendell, or of the Greenwood, or that they, at this very moment, are but miles away from Caras Galadhon?"

Holly just about lost it, "I am not an elf! How many times do I have to tell you that I don't know where I am! I told you where I'm from! Elves don't exist, stop messing about!" She threw her hands in the air and he caught one deftly. His grip tightened and Holly could see a flash in his eyes as he winced in pain. She looked to his arm and blood was seeping through the light grey fabric of his tunic.

Still holding her arm in the air, he stared at her with a mixture of amusement and frustration. Slowly, though Holly fought him, he brought her hand down to the side of her head and to her own ear. He pushed her long dark hair away with her own hand and rested her fingertips on her pointed ear. He released her arm. Holly's other hand flew up and she grasped her ears lightly, feeling the soft points. She looked back to the man – no, elf – in front of her and stared at his own ears, while feeling her own. She began to grow faint again when a soft voice spoke to her,

 _Do not fear Haldir, Ercassiel. He does not understand you. I will speak to him. Come to me, Ercassiel. Haldir will show you the way._

"Who said that?!" Holly yelped quietly. She fell slowly to the floor in a pile of limbs, her hands still clutching her ears. The other two elves looked at her with concern, then to their captain. Haldir paused for a moment as though listening. He nodded silently and looked to Holly again. He extended a hand and she took it robotically, slowly coming back to her feet with Haldir's aid.

"I apologize for my shortness with you, Holly." he said, tightly. "The Lady Galadriel, whose voice you now heard, has explained to me that you are new to our lands and I am to bring you to her. You are in my charge."

Holly blinked at him slowly, trying to understand his words. "Who is the Lady Galadriel?"

"She is the leader of our people. She is wise and will understand how to help you. Are you able to walk?" he asked, still holding her up by the crook of her arm. Holly nodded and pulled her arm away. She walked to the corner and picked up her thermos. Curiously it was empty. One of the other elves coughed and spoke quietly to her in their melodious language. Haldir rolled his eyes,

"Rùmil wishes for me to tell you that he drank it and that he is sorry." he paused for a minute while Rùmil spoke again, "He would also like to know what type of tea – Rùmil, enough of this! We must depart. We have no time for your pleasantries."

With that, the elf captain walked off and out of the room. The nameless elf followed suit. The last one, presumably Rùmil, gesticulated wildly at her, pointing to her thermos and pointing at his stomach, then rubbing his stomach with apparent satisfaction. Holly smiled at him and nodded. He liked her tea. Too bad she had none left to offer him. She looked at the thermos in her hand and her book on the floor. If they were to walk, she would not want to take them with her. Her thermos was empty and she had read that book a thousand times. She left them behind beside the wash basin and followed Rùmil out of the room.

As she stepped out of the room, her heart nearly stopped. She had stepped out onto a small balcony that overlooked what seemed to be an infinite expanse of forest. The sun shone through the canopy of trees and shot down to the forest floor in bright streams of pale gold. To her right, there was a staircase that wound itself around the trunk of the tree. She looked down- the staircase seemed to go down for a while and then stop abruptly. Haldir was already halfway down the staircase as she followed Rùmil, watching her footing at they descended the enormous tree. Suddenly Haldir jumped off the landing at the bottom of the stairs and landed softly on the forest floor. Holly's eyes widened as she then saw the other elf do the same, and then Rùmil. The forest floor looked to be a hundred feet away from her. Haldir looked up at her impatiently. Holly gulped and looked down hesitantly. She heard Haldir call to her,

"Make haste!"

Holly rolled her eyes. _Make haste, he says. Speak quickly, he says. Who are you? Where are you from? Tell me now, blah blah blah._ How irritating he was. Holly sat on the edge of the landing, letting her boot-clad feet dangle off the edge. She could hear Haldir sigh audibly with expasperation. Rùmil snickered pointed up at her, speaking quietly in their language to the other elf. The other elf laughed. Haldir shot them a glare,

"Holly we are but miles from Caras Galadhon. The quicker you get down, the quicker we shall all have some answers."

"How on earth did I get up here in the first place?" Holly yelled down. Her own voice sounded loud and harsh to even her own ears. Haldir winced at her words,

"I carried you up the rope. If you do not wish to jump there is a rope there, to your right. Take it and climb down."

Holly found the rope and held it in her hand. This hardly helped, she thought. Still, there was no way down but...down. She wrapped it around her boot and slowly shimmied down. After what seemed like an eternity, her boots hit the forest floor.

"Eru, had I been mortal I would have died in the time it took you to do that." Haldir muttered to himself, though Holly could not hear. He set off an set a quick pace for them. Haldir took the lead, the other elf followed him, and Rùmil walked behind her, ever pushing her forward at a quick pace.

* * *

Back in Shipton, it was morning and Heather was out of her mind with worry. It had been Holly's turn to open the shop that morning, but when Heather arrived the doors were still locked and the heavy shades pulled shut. She had called Holly numerous times with no answer. By eleven in the morning, Heather was in what could only be described as 'quite a state'. She called her husband Jared who was working from home and watching the kids,

"You haven't heard from Holly, have you?"

"No, why? She's not with you?" he asked, unphased. Heather sighed,

"No, she's not. I don't know where she is. I tried calling her but she's not answering. I'm worried about her. Can you stop by her place quickly? You can ask Mrs. MacCall to watch the kids." When she did not hear an immediate answer she added, "Please, Jared?"

"Yeah, alright. I'll go check on her. You wait there."

Heather waited impatiently, checking her watch every thirty seconds, waiting for Jared to call her back with news that Holly has slept in accidentally or lost her phone, or broke it, or had it set to silent. She busied herself with tidying the shop. After about half an hour, her cellphone rang.

"Jared? Is she there?"

It was quiet for a moment, then he answered, "I don't _think_ so. It's hard to tell but I nearly broke her door down pounding on it. If she was in there she would have answered. Where do you think she is?"

"I don't know, Jared! If I knew where she was I wouldn't be freaking out, would I?!" Heather dropped her head into her hands. Jared knew her well enough than to respond to a comment that was clearly spoken out of frustration on her part. Heather racked her brain trying to think of where Holly would be.

* * *

Heather and Jared got out of the car, parked on the edge of the motorway. "It's through here," Heather said. "She comes here sometimes to read. I've only been once before but it's easy to find. The woods aren't deep."

Jared followed her through the thickets and down the path. Somehow Heather could feel her sister's presence there, but she also felt very far away. Like a memory, or a ghost. The feeling gave Heather goosebumps. Moments later they broke through the trees on the other side, and Holly's small hill came into view.

There was no one there. Heather immediately felt cold and scared. Jared came up beside her,

"We should check on the other side of the hill, just in case." Heather nodded mutely and followed her husband up the small hill until they were standing atop it, overlooking the sea of grass before them. Heather began to cry,

"Where is she Jared?! When I find her I'm going to kill her." she sobbed into his chest. He held her close and drew soft circles with the palm of his hand on her back, kissing her dark hair.

"Don't worry, we'll call the police when we get back. She has to be around somewhere."

Jared, still with his arm around his wife's shoulders, led her down the hill and back into the woods. Heather cried softly as they walked back to the car, scanning the forest floor for any sign of her sister. When they returned to the car, Heather stared back at the forest with a sense of unease. Something was not right about that place.

They drove in silence down the road, both deep in thought. Jared thinking of the next place to look and who to call, Heather thinking about how scared Holly must be. The pulled up in front of the shop and unlocked the front door. Jared bid her goodbye at the door, needing to return to the kids. He said he would call the police and she should focus on asking around to see if anyone had seen her after she left the shop that night.

As Heather closed the door behind her, she heard the unmistakeable sounds of a vial of essential oil breaking on the stone floor of the shop. She heard a deep voice mutter, "Oh dear." and then the pungent scent of oregano hit her hard. She spun around quickly and looked to the backroom. There was someone there.

"Who's there?" she called out loudly. "Come out! I'm calling the police!" She fumbled for her phone in her purse. She heard soft footsteps from the storeroom, a large shadow beginning to block the light from behind the door. Slowly the door opened wider. Heather struggled to find her phone in the deep, messy pockets of her purse. The figure moved into the light of the shop. Heather had to blink several times to clear her vision and believe what she was seeing. A tall, positively ancient-looking man stood in the doorway to her storeroom. He was dressed in long grey robes. A staff rested against the counter in the centre of the store, and a large, worn, pointed hat sat right on top of her cash register.

"There is no need, Lainiel. I've come to talk to you about Holly."

* * *

A/N: Please review :) Three guesses who the intruder is... ;)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Holly trudged along through the forest, following 'captors' (or so she had mentally dubbed them, despite their protestations to the contrary). She made no attempt to make conversation, knowing full well that only Haldir spoke her language and she had very little desire to listen to his surliness at the moment. Perhaps he did not think she had heard his earlier comment about how long she took to get down from the tree, but she had. She may be an elf, and she knew very little about what that meant, but she could see that elves clearly had no problem jumping off a flimsy wooden platform thirty feet in the air. She grumbled to herself as they walked. They had been walking for several hours at this point, and though Holly felt like she _ought_ to be tiring, she was not. She noted with no small amount of smugness that she had been keeping up with Haldir's speedy pace quite well.

Gradually, Holly felt herself relax. Despite the fact that she had really no idea where she was, what had happened to her or how to get back, this forest had a wonderfully soothing effect on her. Holly had always loved the forest. She loved the knowledge that the trees had been there long before her and would outlive her. She loved thinking about whose feet had followed these worn paths before her, and who would follow her steps someday. There was something immortal about the forest, and this forest was no exception. Impulsively, she spoke,

"Does this forest have a name?" she inquired softly, almost to herself. Haldir turned to look back at her quizzically.

"Lothlórien." he answered simply.

 _Lothlórien._ The sound of it permeated her mind, repeating itself over and over, familiarizing her brain with the name.

"That's lovely. Does it mean something in your language?" she asked. Haldir stopped abruptly, and turned to face her. She expected him to sigh in frustration at a second interruption of their progress, but instead his face softened as he answered,

"Yes," he glanced around him as though contemplating its meaning himself, "It means 'Dreamflower'".

Holly smiled. That seemed a fitting name, she thought. She certainly felt as though she was in a dream world, and the forest floor was littered with white flowers and sprawling ferns. They walked a little while longer and Holly could gradually make out the sound of a slow-flowing river. She was looking forward to refilling the small water skin that Taurnil (the name of the other elf, as she had learned along their journey) had handed to her some hours ago.

She thought they were approaching the river quickly, but it was only after another twenty or so minutes of walking at a steady pace that they came across it. The river was narrow here, small enough to cross by foot, but down the stream she could see it widen, miles in the distance. Haldir stopped at the river bank and bent over to fill his water skin. Holly followed suit, filling it to the brim and shutting it tightly. She cupped her hands in the cool, clear water and let the crystalline stream fill them. She brought her hands to her lips and drank deeply. The water was pure and cool. Holly felt quite refreshed. Beside her, Haldir did the same. She observed him as he drank. His hair was long and still pulled back behind his ears. She stared at his ears and absentmindedly felt her own. He was tall, she remarked, very tall. She was not such a good judge of height, but he must have been well over six feet. Holly herself was no pixie at five-foot-eight-inches, but Haldir had towered over her earlier. He was well muscled, she noticed. His face was noble and defined. His eyes were grey, perhaps grey-green but she could nto tell from this distance, and his brow was furrowed in a serious expression. He always seemed so serious. She wondered what he looked like when he smiled.

Holly was shaken out of her observational state by a sharp intake of breath and a quiet hiss from Haldir. He clutched his arm in pain and Holly again noticed the blood seeping through the arm of his tunic.

"Are you alright?" she asked him simply, eyes flicking to his wound and back to his face. He nodded,

"Yes, it is a small wound. I shall have it attended to when we reach the city." his words were restrained and she could see that the cut pained him more than he would likely admit.

 _Typical,_ she thought.

"What happened?" Holly asked, walking closer to him to get a better look at the cut. She reached out a hand to inspect it, but Haldir moved away from her touch quickly.

"A glancing orc arrow. Fortunately, it was not poisoned. It rather stings, however." his lips formed a grim line as he cocked his head to look at his own arm. He brought his other hand up to pull at the fabric around the open wound and, though Holly thought it impossible, furrowed his brows even further.

"Do you have anything to bind it?" she looked to Taurnil and Rúmil, neither of which seemed to be carrying supplies. Haldir shook his head,

"No, we were not expecting any enemies. We were out checking the outer posts when we ran into a small band of orcs. We finished them quickly, but this arrow seemed to come from nowhere," he lamented, as though disappointed in himself, "It is no matter, I shall live."

 _Was that almost a joke?_ She thought to ask what orcs were, but decided that they did not sound pleasant.

Holly looked at the ground and at all the various flowers growing by the riverbank. She spotted the dainty white flower with its bright yellow centre and jagged petals easily. _Feverfew!_

She bent down and plucked the flower from the ground. Haldir looked at her, puzzled. She then looked down at her thin cotton top. The sleeves loosened at the elbow and flowed down to her wrists. She grabbed a fistful of fabric and tore the bottom part of her sleeve off at the seam. "Sit."

Haldir raised an arched eyebrow at her command. He was not used to being ordered around. Holly rolled her eyes and proffered her hands, one containing the little white flower and the other containing the remnants of her sleeve, "Please? I will clean and treat it." he did not seem convinced, "This plant is feverfew, it will combat the inflammation."

He considered her offer for a moment before quickly pulling off his tunic and sitting down on a large boulder by the river's edge. He wore another shirt underneath, a thin linen chemise, open at the neck with loosened laces. He pulled the shoulder of the chemise down to reveal the angry, red wound on his upper arm. Holly tore up the pieces of feverfew and wet them with water from the river. She wished for her mortar and pestle, a little bit of vitamin E ointment, honey and some calendula, which would make a very effective antiseptic, anti-inflammatory salve, but her crude paste of feverfew and river water would have to do for now. Holly opened her water skin and poured some of the water over Haldir's wound. He winced, but he did not move.

"Sorry." she muttered, letting the water wash over his cut until the liquid ran clear. The wound, looking sufficiently clean, could now be bound. Holly knelt in front of him and leaned in closer to apply the paste to his arm. Careful not to press too hard and hurt him, she softly patted the mixture in with her fingertips. Haldir could barely feel her feather-light touch.

She pressed the last of the paste in softly and prepared the strip of fabric that was once her sleeve. She moistened it in the river. _Best to keep the paste wet,_ she thought. Haldir raised his arm obligingly and Holly wrapped the damp fabric around his upper arm. She leaned across his chest to tie the material in a tight knot at the back of his arm. She could feel his muscles tighten underneath her touch. Holly looked over her work one last time before getting up from her knees and brushing off her pants.

"There, good as new." she said matter-of-factly. Haldir eyed the bandage with a look of approval. He had not heard of this plant being used for medicinal purposes before.

"This is well-done." he stated, nodding slightly, "Thank you. But now, we must continue. Once we cross the river Celebrant we are but a mile from Caras Galadhon."

Holly nodded and washed her hands in the river and refilled her water skin. Rúmil came to her and touched her arm lightly. She turned around to face him and he was smiling brightly.

 _Man, these elves were handsome when they smiled._

 _"Le hannon."_ he said, but she could not understand. Holly looked at Haldir for a translation,

"He says 'thank you'," Haldir offered. "Rúmil is my brother. He was needlessly concerned about my arm."

 _Well, that would explain the striking, handsome resemblance._

Holly smiled at Rúmil, "You're welcome, Rúmil."

He seemed to understand and he bowed his head at her with a smile, before continuing off to follow his brother. Rúmil chatted away at Haldir as they walked. Taurnil remained silent and watchful behind her. Still, Holly could sense that they had relaxed somewhat as they approached their home.

 _And maybe I earned a bit of their trust?_

* * *

Suddenly, Holly could see a great golden gate before them. It was surrounded by trees and branches grew into and intertwined with the bars. Haldir stood in front of their group and the gates opened for him. As they entered, Holly was awed by the beauty of the city. It was unlike any city she had ever seen. The buildings were built high into the trees, not unlike the small guard post she had awaken in, and made accessible by an intricate network of winding staircases. It was growing dark and the sun was low on the horizon, but the city was illuminated by the light of hundreds of lanterns of green, gold and silver light.

Holly was awestruck by its beauty. Haldir glanced back at her to see her expression. Visitors to the Golden Wood were rare; he was proud of his homeland and enjoyed the look of amazement on her face. Rúmil and Taurnil parted ways, then, and Haldir turned to speak to her,

"The Lady Galadriel informs me that she has arranged for a guest talan to be prepared for you." Haldir gestured to some small, dwelling-like buildings behind him. "I will take you there. You will have time to change and bathe before I collect you for your audience with the Lady."

Holly nodded and followed him down a warmly-lit path through the forest. After a moment, Haldir stopped in front of a large tree. Thankfully, there was no rope to climb, but a sturdy staircase wound itself up the tree's trunk and up to a large round cottage. This was a _talan,_ Holly surmised. Haldir began to climb the stairs and Holly followed him. He opened the front door with a key, which he then handed to her. Holly felt grateful for the key. Somehow the familiar piece of metal signified protection, privacy and safety in this unknown land. They had keys, too, back where she came from.

Holly stepped into the talan after Haldir. The room was simply appointed. There was a large bed covered by white blankets and bed linens. There was a small wooden trunk, carved with leaves and vines, at its foot. On the opposite wall was a small desk and chair. In the corner beside her was a small wash basin on a little table. A small shelf under the table held a pile of linen towels, presumably for cleaning herself. There was no kitchen, she noticed. There was a door on the back wall of the talan,

"What's there?" she asked, pointing to the door. In four long strides, Haldir walked over to the door and pushed it open to reveal a steaming bath,

"That is your bathing room. The Lady has had a bath prepared for you. I hope you will be comfortable here." he gestured into the room and Holly saw more linen towels, and small bench, and a large soaker-sized tub of warm water. She sighed contentedly. "I will come collect you in an hour."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, shutting the front door behind him. Holly could hear his footsteps down the stairs, on the path, and away from her talan. Holly stripped off her clothes hurriedly. She couldn't wait to _clean_ herself. The grime of the day's hike stuck to every inch of her. Sleeping on the forest floor the night before had not helped one bit. There was twigs and leaves in her hair, dirt on her face and under her fingernails. She lowered herself into the warm bath and relished the feeling of the perfumed water on her skin. On a small shelf beside the tub she found some glass jars and vials of what appeared to be oils and soaps. Holly washed her face first, then her hair. She scrubbed every inch of her body with the washcloth that had been left for her.

Realizing that she had no way of telling when an hour had passed and not wishing for Haldir to find her still in the bath, she got out quickly and dried herself off. She applied a luxurious oil that smell fresh and sweet and floral. She did not know the scent, but it was lovely.

She eyed the pile of dirty clothes on the floor in front of the bath. She was not looking forward to putting those back on. She wrapped the towel around herself and walked over the mirror on the wall. On the bench in front of it was a wooden comb. Beside that, there seemed to be a folded pile of clothing. It was a light dress, a pale green colour. The sleeves were fitted and the neckline modest, scooping down but stopping just under her collar-bone. The skirt was long and flowing, just the sort of thing you want to don after a nice bath. Holly began to comb out her hair and gazed out the window of the bathing room. It was very dark out, and from this window she could not see any of the bright lanterns that lined the pathways of Caras Galadhon. She hoped this meant that no one could see _her._

She looked at herself in the mirror and could not help but feel that she looked different. Holly took this opportunity to see her ears with her own eyes. They were softly pointed at the tip, much like Haldir and Rúmil's had been. Despite knowing better, she tugged them to see if they were prosthetic. The pinching on the tip of her ear hurt and she winced. She analyzed the rest of her face, looking for changes. Her eyes remained largely unchanged. They were large and hazel, a light brown-green encircling a ring of blue around her pupil. Thick lashes framed them, and Holly could not help but feel like they were longer than she remembered. Her skin seemed to do well in the temperate climate of the forest. After her bath she seemed to glow in the dim light of the night.

With her hair combed out and the simple dress on, she walked back to the bed chamber and began patting her hair dry and squeezing the dampness out of it. It was while she was doing this that she heard a soft knock on the door,

"Holly?" a deep voice asked from the other side of the door. Holly sprang up and opened it. Haldir stood there, also tidier than when she had last seen him, and sporting a clean tunic, no less. Holly looked him up and down, admiring the figure he cut.

"You clean up well. You look much less menacing without all that dirt on you." she commented, not knowing where her playful tone was coming from. Haldir averted his eyes and looked down to his clothes. Holly thought, for a brief moment, that she saw the faintest tinge of pink on the tips of his ears.

"It would not be appropriate to visit the Lady in such a state." he answered stiffly. Holly bit her lip to stop from laughing at him. He looked at her expectantly and waited for her to exit the talan. Holly looked around for something to put on her feet but it seemed to be the only thing that had been neglected. She walked over to the bed and sat down, pulling her soft leather boots back on. They didn't exactly suit her dress, but the gown was long and mostly covered her legs anyway.

She followed Haldir out of the talan and down the stairs. As they walked, Haldir pointed out various buildings that Holly was sure she would have no use for,

"Over here is the smith, and beside him the fletcher." he pointed to the building, some of the few that were built directly on the forest floor. "Down that way is the bathing springs. Only guest _telain_ have their own baths. Inhabitants of the city usually bathe at the springs."

Holly nodded along and commented every so often. Finally, he pointed out a large hall, illuminated from the ceiling by sparking lanterns. Its roof seemed to be formed from the leaves and boughs of the two enormous trees that towered over it. It was spacious and bright, it was the dining hall, he said.

"After our audience with the Lady, if you are not tired, you may go there and join the evening meal."

After a few more moments on Holly's expertly guided tour of Caras Galadhon, Haldir informed her that they were approaching the Lady Galadriel's palace. It was, like many of the other structures in the city, built into a massive tree. Holly could not tell where the tree ended and the structure began. She imagined that the tree had grown itself around its inhabitants, to protect and shield them. She also imagine that its inhabitants grew the tree, pushing its branches out and fanning its leaves like arms outstretched to the world. Haldir led her up the wide staircase that opened to a vast room. Sitting in the centre of the room, as though awaiting her arrival, was a man and a woman, only they could not be described as such.

While she had previously thought that Haldir had a soft glow about him, a pale light reverberating off him as they walked in the dusky light of the early evening, the Lady Galadriel and her consort glowed with a bright, shimmering light. Her long, silver hair cascaded down her back and sparkled in the lantern-light. She was dressed in long, flowing white robes. She wore no shoes or slippers, she noticed, as the Lady glided toward her in greeting. Beside her stood an elven man, equally powerful in appearance and just as ethereal as his lady.

"Welcome, Ercassiel, to Lothlórien.", the lady spoke, her voice like crystals ringing in a soft breeze, "Or, as I ought to say, welcome back. We have much to discuss."

The Lady extended an elegant hand toward Holly and gestured for Haldir to follow with the other.

* * *

A/N: I wonder what Galadriel has to tell Holly. I wonder why she's calling her Ercassiel! I wonder what's going on with Heather and her not-so-mysterious guest?! I guess you will find out soon :) Please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Heather gaped at the old, wizened man in front of her. He simply stood there, hands clasped in front of him, as though waiting for her to overcome her shock and speak to him. Not able to find any words and still wondering if she should dial for the police, Heather waited for further explanation. Finally, the man sighed and took two steps closer to her.

"I see that you do not recognize me. I suppose I ought to have expected that." he said tiredly. Heather finally spoke,

"Tell me who you are, how you know Holly, and how you got in here." she demanded, taking two steps back, increasing the distance between herself and the strange intruder.

"My name is Gandalf, or Mithrandir, as you would know me. Believe it or not, we have already met, Lainiel." He took as seat casually on one of the stools beside the workstation in the middle of the shop. Heather bristled at his casual manner,

"I don't know who you are but my name's not Lainiel. I think you have the wrong person. I am going to have to ask you to leave," she threatened. This was beginning to feel like the worst day of her life. First Holly's disappearance and now this? How much was she expected to endure in one day?

The man, Mithrandir, nodded his head slowly at her, almost as though finally understanding something. He was deep in thought as he cleaned the bowl of his long wooden pipe, blowing bits of charred tobacco all over her pristine white floors. Heather ground her teeth. Enough was enough,

"Say something!" she shrieked. Mithrandir raised his bushy grey brows in surprise,

"My my, you were always the fiery one, I must say." he got up slowly and gestured for Heather to take the seat he had just vacated, "Very well. Please, sit. I shall endeavor to explain my appearance her."

"I'm fine where I am, thanks," Heather responded testily. She had very little desire to get any closer to this...tramp.

"As you wish. Well, Lainiel – and that is your true name, make no mistake about it – I am certain that you are more than curious as to the whereabouts of your sister, Holly."

"You know where she is?" Heather asked, slowly. Mithrandir nodded,

"She has travelled to Middle-Earth, Lainiel. She has returned to your homeland."

* * *

Holly followed Galadriel into a small anteroom. There, there were soft white sofas and cushions. Galadriel sat gingerly on one of the sofas and gestured for Holly and Haldir to take the seats across from her. Moments later, Celeborn followed, shutting a door behind him and taking a seat beside his wife.

Holly would have questioned the Lady had it not been for her utter inability to speak in that moment. If she had been skeptical at the existence of this place, of elves, of Lothlórien, the presence of Lady Galadriel squashed every notion of disbelief in her mind. She was not dreaming, this was real, she was real. There was no denying what she was seeing with her very eyes, and there was no need to pinch herself. Galadriel, undoubtedly having read Holly's mind, waited for the wave of shock to pass before speaking,

"You are welcome here, Holly. I am sure you are very confused and would like to know where you are. But first, I would like for you to know that you are welcome here. This is your home." the Lady began. Holly could only nod in understanding, "You and your sister are the daughters of two elves of Imladris. Imladris is the elven kingdom of Elrond Peredhil, a relation of mine."

 _"Your parents were making their final journey from Imladris to the Undying Lands when their ship was taken by Corsairs of Umbar. They departed from Edhellond, never to reach their destination. They were vastly outnumbered. Your parents and their companions were defeated by the Corsairs. You and your sister, who was but a babe, were hiding in the lower deck of the ship when you were discovered by your attackers." Mithrandir explained. Heather was frozen in place._

"You were saved, Ercassiel. You and your sister. You see, we are of the Eldar. We are blessed with immortal life by the Valar. As such, elflings – elven children – are prized among our people. During our long lives, elves mate only once and children are sometimes only born once in a millenia. It is for this reason that the Valar chose to save you and your sister. Young life is precious to the elves, and the Valar could not bear the loss of so innocent a life." Galadriel continued. Holly ran a shaky hand down her cheek and rested it under her chin. She and Heather had never known their true parents. They had been adopted at a young age, Holly at the age of one and Heather at the age of seven. Both were too young to remember much from before their adoption. Heather had always had some vague memories, but nothing specific.

 _"Why do you call me 'Lainiel'?" Heather asked. Mithrandir smiled slowly at her,_

 _"That is your name, Heather. 'Lainiel' is 'Heather' in Sindarin. It is, in fact, amusing to me that your adoptive parents would have gotten the idea to name you that, but perhaps the Valar always suspected that you would return."_

"Your parents never made it to the Undying Lands. Their loss was mourned across the elven kingdoms. We thought you and your sister lost, as well, until Mithrandir found you in your realm." Holly considered this information, trying to process everything at once.

"Who is Mithrandir?" she asked.

"Mithrandir is one of Maiar. He is one sent to Middle-Earth, this realm, by the Valar, the Gods. You would understand him better as a wizard, I believe." Galadriel explained, "Mithrandir may travel between realms. You see, while we received news that your parents and their companions had been slain, we had no news of you and your sister. It took Mithrandir the better part of a millenia to locate you." With that, Holly nearly choked on her own breath. Haldir looked to her in concern. He had been quiet this entire time, listening to the Lady intently, and wondering why he was allowed to be privy to this conversation.

"A millenia? A thousand years?" Holly breathed, eyes wide in disbelief.

 _"You and Holly are just under a thousand years old. You were born in the year 1884 of the Third Age. Holly was born in 1890. In Middle Earth it is currently year 2701 of the third age. That would make you precisely eight-hundred and seventeen years old, and Holly eight-hundred and eleven."_

 _"Is this a joke?" spat Heather, staring Mithrandir down incredulously. He chuckled,_

 _"No, Lainiel. It is not. I would not be upset if I were you. Why, I have been walking Middle-Earth for over two-thousand years. Before that I saw the shaping of Arda. I have lived longer than you could possibly comprehend."_

 _Not knowing what or where Arda was and having a lot of trouble believing that she was over eight-hundred years old, Heather brought the conversation back to Holly, "Alright. So where is my sister? In Middle-Earth?"_

"So what am I doing here now? I can't be eight-hundred, I'm only twenty-three. None of this makes sense," Holly sputtered. Galadriel looked at her with a mixture of amusement and pity,

"Time passes differently on Earth," she said, simply, "There you had lived twenty-three years. On Arda you are over eight-hundred. As to what you are doing here now, it is my belief that the Valar saw fit to return you to your true home."

"Then why isn't Heather here?" Holly asked.

Galadriel seemed to struggle with her response, and looked to Celeborn who inclined his head to her, "Truthfully, I do not know. It is possible that we will never know. It is difficult to understand that Valar and their ways."

 _"They're not going to snatch me up and dump me in Middle-Earth, too, are they?" Heather asked, both worried and upset. Mithrandir shook his head,_

 _"While one can never fully comprehend the workings of the Valar, it is my belief that they wish for you to remain here. Perhaps there is something holding you to Earth?"_

 _Heather thought that obvious. She saw images of her children and her husband in her mind. She could never leave them behind. They were her life, she was nothing without them now. Heather thought about Holly. Holly was happy on earth, yes, but something had always been missing for her. Holly was young and free- she had no family of her own besides Heather. For some reason it did not surprise Heather that the 'Valar' had chosen Holly to be the one who returned to Middle-Earth. Still, she worried for her sister and wondered at what she must be going through at this very moment._

 _"Do not fear for Ercassiel, child. She is safe. We must have faith in the workings of the Valar. Only they can see what the future holds for her." Mithrandir reassured her._

"Will I ever see my sister again?" Holly asked, looking up from her lap and into Galadriel's eyes. They were the palest grey, but deep and dark with knowledge and wisdom. Galadriel's eyes became soft and sad as she replied,

"I do not think so, Ercassiel." she replied, "I do not know of a way to return you to your realm."

Holly nodded in understanding, but cast her eyes down to the floor. She squeezed her eyelids shut, desperately trying to not cry in the present company. Haldir looked at Holly and back to Galadriel. His eyes questioned her. He did not know why he was here,

 _I will need you to help her, Marchwarden. I have placed her in your care. She will not know and understand our ways. It is my wish that Ercassiel has a friend in these difficult times._

Haldir could not help the thought that passed through his mind. While he revered and respected his liege Lady, he sometimes wished that she could not hear _all_ of his thoughts. While he was not exactly annoyed at having to look after Holly, he could not help but feel that it was a great inconvenience to him.

 _Do not feel this way, Haldir. I promise, she shall not be a great burden on you. You may seek my aid when you need it._

Haldir nodded silently at Galadriel. The Lady looked back at Holly who was studiously ignoring both her and Haldir, trying not to make eye contact. She turned and hid her face from them, biting back tears. She breathed in sharply and turned back to them,

"I understand. May I be excused? I would like to be alone to process all of this." Holly asked quietly, looking at the lady with pleading eyes. She could not explain it but she did not want to cry in front of Haldir. Galadriel bowed her head,

"Of course, Ercassiel. I shall have dinner sent to your _talan_."

 _Take all the time you require. Lothlórien is safe and you are under my protection. I will be here to provide you council when you need it._ Galadriel's voiced flitted in and out of her mind.

Holly stood and made her way to door of the anteroom. Galadriel, Celeborn and then Haldir followed suit. Galadriel and Celeborn stayed behind as Holly picked up the pace and stalked out of the enormous _talan_ and made her way back down to the forest floor. Haldir caught up with her quickly after bidding his liege-lord and lady good evening.

He jogged lightly up to her. She was moving quickly. When he caught up to her, he put a light hand on her shoulder. She froze in her tracks and turned her head to look at him. He was struck by the profound sadness in her eyes. He could see the tears threatening to fall, clinging desperately to her eyelashes. Growing anxious, for he had never been experienced in his dealings with depressed females, he offered to guide her back to her _talan._ She muttered a quiet thank you and followed him, keeping up with his hurried pace.

* * *

Heather stared intently at Mithrandir. She scrutinized his face for any sign of lies, jokes, deceptions and jests. She could find none. He was deathly serious and she believed him. Somehow, despite the utter impossibility of his story, she believed every word. Mithrandir stared back, simply waiting for her to come to this realization.

"So I will never see Holly again." she stated. Mithrandir inclined his head, long grey hair falling in front of his weathered face,

"No, Lainiel. You shall not. She shall not return and you may not follow her."

"My place is here." she responded, with quiet conviction. She knew her place was here and while she had no desire to leave her family and despite Mithrandir's assertions that Holly would be fine, she feared for her sister. "I hope she's okay, Mithrandir."

Mithrandir smiled down at her, "She will be, child. Do not fear."

Heather nodded. She exhaled deeply and moved closer to the counter where Mithrandir was standing. He picked up his head and put it on his head, "It is time for me to return to Middle-Earth. Your husband approaches. You may explain this to him if you wish, I believe he will understand."

He walked toward the door and Heather sat down on the stool he had offered her what seemed now like hours ago. With his hand on the door handle, he turned back to look at Heather, "Perhaps you shall meet again in Halls of Mandos. There is still hope."

Puzzled, Heather did not respond. With that, Mithrandir was gone. She saw him walk down the road and disappear in the distance, like a mirage in the summer heat, like a wisp of fog dissipated by the warm sun.

* * *

A/N: We won't be seeing Heather again for some time, now. The majority of this story will be focused on Holly, with the occasional flashback and thought of Heather. Now that all is explained, let the fun begin :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Holly awoke in her _talan_ and she was not sure what time it was. After Haldir had walked her back to her room and muttered a hasty goodbye (she got the distinct impression that he had no idea what to say to her), Holly had fallen rather ungracefully on her bed, cried herself to sleep and slept in her dress. This morning (at least, she thought it was morning), she was regretting that decision as it was the only dress she had at the moment and now it was frightfully wrinkled.

She got up out of the bed and stepped outside onto the small balcony. She looked up at the sky – the sun was low on the horizon, and though she could not tell for sure, she doubted that she had slept through to sunset on the following day. Therefore, she concluded that it must have been just after sunrise. As she came to this conclusion, her stomach growled loudly. She hadn't eaten in nearly two days and though she had been distracted in the previous hours, she was now realizing how dreadfully hungry she was.

Holly went back inside the _talan_ to search for her boots. She thought she had left them by the door to the bathing room. She looked inside quickly and found her boots, but also found a pair of comfortable-looking grey slippers. Her boots were still dirty and muddy from her walk in the forest and her expedition through Lothlórien, so she elected to wear the slippers. She debated taking a quick bath but there was no water in the tub like there had been yesterday. She wasn't sure why she expected there to be (magic, perhaps? Did elves use magic?), and then remembered what Haldir had said about residents of Caras Galadhon using the hot springs. She took a quick look in the mirror and ran a comb through her hair. Surprisingly, though she knew she had been crying most of the night, her eyes were not puffy, albeit a little pink around the edges.

Despite the shock of the information received the night before, Holly found that her feelings were mixed for the time being. She would miss her sister, her friends and her niece and nephew. She loved Heather's children as if they were her own. The thought of never seeing them again threatened to bring more tears to her eyes. She shook her head in front of the mirror – _there will be no more crying today, Holly,_ she thought.

On the other hand, she still could not believe where she was. She still couldn't believe _what_ she was and _who_ she was. A flutter of excitement bubbled up in her chest. She had had parents! Of course she always knew she and Heather hadn't materialized out of nowhere, but her parents had names, had a life that she could trace! She could learn more about them. Perhaps there were people around who actually _remembered_ them.

Holly contemplated this as she arranged her hair into a long braid. She laid it over her shoulder and let it fall down her chest. She looked around for another dress to wear, but none had been left. There was still water left in the small wash-basin by her bed and she splashed some on her face. She wiped her face clean with the linen hand towel and felt quite refreshed. With some dismay she noticed that a plate of food had been left on the small table the night before, but it had grown cold and the greens had wilted.

Of course, second to the news about her new-found parentage, the most shocking piece of news was that she was, in fact, an elf. She was no longer human. Even though she had not wanted to believe it at first, or at the very least thought that Haldir was off his rocker when he had called her an elf, she could not deny that something had...changed. She looked ever so slightly different. She had walked through what seemed to be half of Lothlórien yesterday without growing tired, and she could hear far better than she could before.

It was this newly acquired ability that alerted her to the arrival of a guest approaching her talan.

* * *

At what seemed like the crack of dawn, Haldir felt a brush at this mind. Soft, like someone peering through a door to see if he was home. In what seemed like a dream he heard a voice,

 _Wake up, Marchwarden._

Haldir woke with a start. He sat up straight in bed and looked around. Even after over three-thousand years in Lady Galadriel's service, he had never quite grown accustomed to what he referred to as her early-morning wake-up calls. Sensing that he was now awake, she continued her evidently urgent message,

 _Our guest is awake, Haldir. I believe she is in need of sustenance. Please see to it._

With that, he felt her presence leave his mind. Haldir sighed and shoved his face back into his pillow. He had slept poorly the night before. Distracted by the information he had been given the night before, he had had trouble falling asleep. As such, he was not quite his usual chipper self this morning. After a moment of contemplating whether or not he should rise and see to his duties, the value of his career, the importance of Lady Galadriel's orders and wondering why he had not sailed to Valinor years ago to avoid rising at this ungodly hour, he got out of bed.

He changed quickly, pulled his hair back into his usual warrior braids, and washed his face. He would bring her quickly to the dining hall and head to the springs after for a nice bath, unless the Lady delegated some other distasteful task to him before he could make it there.

He felt a flash of annoyance in his mind and winced.

Haldir left his talan and headed down the stairs. As he was walking down the staircase, he looked over to the talan beside his. There, his brother Orophin was sitting on the balcony reading a book. As Haldir walked past his talan and down the path, Orophin called out to him,

"Good morning, brother! How unusual to see you up at such an hour on your day off. I did not know you had a patrol today?" Orophin asked, standing for his chair and leaning over the balcony with his elbows on the railing.

Haldir rolled his eyes slightly and looked up at his brother icily, "No, no patrol this morning. Lady Galadriel has asked me to show a guest to the dining hall."

Orophin's face brightened, "A guest? Who is it? A delegate from Imladris? The Greenwood?" He practically hopped down the stairs, taking them two at a time. Haldir shook his head in amusement,

"No, an elleth from..." Haldir paused for a moment, not sure what to say about Holly's origins, "  
Edhellond."

Orophin's eyebrows shot up in interest, "An elleth? From...Edhellond? But Edhellond has not been inhabited in nearly a thousand years."

Haldir looked at the ground hastily. "Uh, yes, originally from Edhellond, but she has been staying in Imladris."

Orophin nodded. "Ah, very well. Well, when Eruana wakes, perhaps we shall join you."

"I doubt I shall still be there." Haldir answered, waving a hand behind him and walking down the path. The Lady was already annoyed at him enough without his dilly-dallying.

The guest telain were not far from Haldir's own talan. They were in the centre of the city, very likely placed there intentionally so that guest could not lose their way in Lothlórien's mesmerizing woods. Only a moment later, he was approaching Holly's talan.

She had evidently hear him coming, because she stepped out onto the balcony to greet him. She was wearing the same dress from the night before, he noticed. It was wrinkled slightly as though she had slept in it. Her hair was pulled into a thick, dark braid and draped over her shoulder. She stared down at him from the balcony, looking both refreshed and tired at the same time. As he moved closer to where she was standing, he could see that her hazel eyes were pink and irritated. Haldir realized then that she had been crying. For a moment, he felt sympathetic toward the young elleth.

"Good morning, Haldir." she greeted him as she stopped at the bottom of her staircase. She smiled slightly, but it did not reach her eyes. She turned quickly to lock the door behind her.

"Good morning, Holly." he responded, bowing his head politely. "The Lady Galadriel requested that I show you to the dining hall." _Even though I just showed you yesterday,_ he thought, rather unfairly.

Her eyes light up at that, "Oh, excellent. I'm starved."

She walked down the staircase and met him at the bottom. He outstretched an arm in front of him, gesturing for them to walk down the path, "Shall we?"

Holly nodded and followed him. In the morning light, the forest seemed less mysterious but just as beautiful as it had the night before. The early morning sun glinted off dew drops on the leaves, making the trees sparkle. It felt like such a magical place to her, yet comforting and homely at the same time. She was broken out of her reverie by a question from Haldir,

"Was everything in your talan to your liking?" he asked politely. He may as well make up for his earlier reluctance. If the Lady found out that he had been less than completely welcoming to their guest, he would no doubt hear about it later. Holly looked up at him. He noticed, then, that she was slightly shorter than the average elleth. While he was above average height for an elf, Holly appeared to be only five-foot eight or nine. He dwarfed her by about six inches.

"Oh yes, thank you. The bath was lovely." she said, smiling up at him. "But I didn't notice the food that was left last night, and it was cold this morning when I woke up," she added, sadly. Just then, he heard her stomach unleash the loudest growl he thought he had ever heard, and she clapped her hand over her belly as though to shut it up. He looked down at her with raised eyebrows and her face began to redden. "I'm so sorry."

Haldir wanted to burst out laughing. Dignity and propriety dictated, however, that his face remain as impassive as possible. When she blushed, red like his battle-cloak, he could not contain a small chuckle, and his face broke into a smile. "It's quite alright," he said, "We're nearly at the dining hall."

He had a nice smile, she thought. He had only ever looked so serious and surly over the last two days, she didn't think he _could_ smile. He looked very handsome when he smiled. He looked very handsome always, she thought with a mental giggle, but then so did all the elves she had seen so far. But, he looked quite good-humored when he smiled, as though the expression came more naturally to him then he had let on thus far.

As quickly as it came, however, it left his face and his expression returned to unreadable and polite. Feeling quite awkward after her stomach's little outburst, Holly sought to fill the silence by asking questions about the forest,

"What kind of trees are these?"

"They are mallorn trees." he answered.

"I've never heard of those. Do they grow elsewhere?" she asked. Haldir thought about his answer for a moment, as though he had never considered it before,

"I believe they must also grown in Valinor. Galadriel brought the seeds with her from Lindon."

Holly looked puzzled for a moment. "Where is Valinor?"

Haldir remembered that though she may look like an elf, Holly was only recently made one of the Eldar and did not know where Valinor, let alone Lindon, was. Same as she did not know that Lórien was a forest of mellyrn. He indulged her question, "The Lady spoke of it yesterday, it is the Undying Lands. It is where the Valar reside in Aman. They are named as such because only immortal beings are allowed to live there. It is common for elves who grow tired of living in Middle-Earth to sail to the Undying Lands and live out their days in peace."

Holly considered his response. So her parents had been trying to take her and Heather to the safety and peace of the Undying Lands when they had passed. This saddened her, and she found herself imagining what life would have been like if she had grown up with them in Valinor. She looked over at Haldir and he, too, seemed far away. They remained silent on the rest of their walk. Suddenly, they were shaken out of them companionable silence by the sound of Haldir's name being called from the dining hall. At the end of a very long table sat Rúmil, Orophin and a very pretty blonde-haired elleth. Haldir stepped into the dining hall and gestured for Holly to follow him.

"Holly, this is my brother Orophin, his wife, Eruana," Haldir motioned to a tall elf, almost as tall as Haldir himself, with bright blue eyes and the same shining silver hair as his brother, and a lithe, golden-haired woman with grey eyes and a wide, happy smile. "And of course, you've met Rúmil."

"Hello, it's very nice to meet you," she said slowly, suspecting that like Rúmil, Orophin and Eruana spoke only Elvish. Orophin cocked an eyebrow,

"Well met, Holly. I trust that Haldir is being an attentive host and has shown you all the best spots in Lothlórien?" he asked good-naturedly. Holly beamed at being able to communicate with someone other than Haldir and Lady Galadriel.

"Oh, yes. He's been very kind, if a bit bristly." she replied cheekily. At this, Orophin threw his head back and laughed. His laugh was deep and musical.

"Yes, my brother is known for his...severe reputation." he answered with a smile. Eruana and Rúmil looked lost at their exchange. Orophin spoke to them quickly, seemingly translating Holly's comment. Eruana covered her mouth to hid a snicker. Rúmil looked straight at Haldir, pointed directly at him and laughed. Haldir glared at both of his brothers and their faces went immediately very serious. The moment Haldir looked away, their faces broke back into silent laughter. "Forgive me, Rúmil and Eruana are both new to the common tongue. I have been teaching them, very slowly. Perhaps with you here their skill will improve."

"I was rather hoping to learn your language, actually." Holly offered. Orophin looked surprised,

"Tell me, how is it that an elleth of Edhellond does not speak Sindarin? What do you speak? Nandorin? Telerin? Quenya?"

Holly struggled to respond. She was not sure how much to mention, what to say. Luckily Haldir sensed her uneasiness and gave his brother an icy look, "Do not pester her with your questions, Orophin."

Orophin inclined his head at his brother's remark and retook his seat beside his wife. The two began to converse quietly. Holly caught Rúmil smirk at Haldir's rebuke of Orophin. Holly could see the impish competitiveness between Rúmil and Orophin, it was not dissimilar to her relationship with Heather. Haldir sat down beside Rúmil. Orophin pulled a chair out beside him for Holly and gestured for her to sit down. Holly thanked him and took a seat. The table was laden with fruits and vegetables. There were several types of seed-bread and cakes, as well as something that looked vaguely like poultry, as well as some small, hard-boiled eggs. On another large platter, there were sweet cakes and honeyed pastries. Holly piled her plate high with cakes and fruits and a little bit of everything. She saw Haldir's eyes widen at the sheer quantity of food on her plate, and widen even more as she all but shoveled it into her mouth. She could barely taste the food, she was so hungry. Suddenly Rúmil let out a light chuckle and then everyone at the table was laughing at her. Holly stopped eating mid-bite and looked at them with a sheepish smile. Even Haldir managed to crack and small smile (short-lived as it was).

"Sorry, I am really very hungry. I promise I don't usually eat like this." she said, sitting back in her chair. Haldir went on to explain how they had travelled long and far the previous day, and how their audience with Galadriel had ran late. Thankfully, he kept the explanation short and sweet. Holly got the feeling that her new friends would only be temporarily satisfied with his explanation, but was happy that did not yet require the full story. She thought about speaking with the Lady Galadriel first.

They finished eating and Orophin was asking Holly questions about her time in Lórien thus far, translating for Rúmil as they went. Eruana, it seemed, understood very well and could speak a little common (which Holly realized was what she called English), but her vocabulary and grammar was limited and halting. Nonetheless, they managed to converse quite pleasantly.

"Holly," Eruana began, "Do you need dress?" she asked, looking at Orophin for approval. He gave her a proud smile and corrected her in Elvish. Eruana nodded and repeated herself, "Holly, do you need dresses?"

Holly looked down at her wrinkled dress and thought about her torn cotton shirt and muddy jeans on the floor of her talan. "Perhaps one or two...I only have this one. My own clothes are dirty and torn."

Eruana nodded, understanding. Haldir remembered that Holly had used the sleeve of her shirt to bind his wound. Indeed, when he had had it seen to by the healers, they were much impressed by how the binding was neatly done and the inflammation reduced by the rudimentary poultice used Holly had concocted. Haldir turned to his sister-in-law,

"Eruana, would you be able to find Holly some clothes? I will speak to Lady Galadriel about procuring some basic things for her, but she will need clothing, first and foremost." he asked her, in Elvish. Eruana's face lit up,

"Of course! It is no problem, Haldir. She cannot be expected to wear the same dress over and over. How did her own clothing become ruined?" she asked. Haldir chided himself, for now he had to tell her that he had been injured,

"She tore the sleeve of her shirt binding my wound." he admitted, rubbing his upper arm by way of demonstration. At this point, Orophin began to translate for Holly,

"Haldir is telling us of how you gallantly treated his battle-wound, Holly." Holly blushed under the attention. She also doubted that Haldir was singing her praises. She got the impression that Orophin enjoyed teasing his brother, even if it was at her expense.

"It was just a little cut, I only cleaned it," she waved off his comment, taking another sip of water from her goblet.

Haldir looked at her, then, from across the table. "I am to take care of some of my duties this morning. Eruana will take you to get some new clothes. I will meet you back here at mid-day."

"Alright," Holly answered. With that, Haldir picked up his empty plate and goblet and walked away. Not exactly surprised by his brusque manner, Holly leaned across Orophin to address Eruana,

"Are we going now?"

Eruana nodded and cleaned up her plate and goblet as well, "Yes, Holly. We go for dress now. Come!"

Holly followed Eruana out of the dining hall, waving cheerfully to Rúmil and Orophin as they left.

* * *

A/N: Surprise! Another chapter tonight. I got bored and decided to post early. I think Holly has found a friend in Eruana. Haldir is still being his serious, surly self (with a few little hints at his true personality, here and there). We'll learn a little more about him next time, I think. I realize this story is not exactly a new concept, but I happen to be a big fan of the girl-falls-into-middle-earth thing. I'm trying to make things a little more challenging for Holly by having her not speak Elvish (and yes, I do realize that common/Westron is NOT English, but I don't really care). I'd like to repeat that this is not a tenth walker, and as we saw by the last chapter, this is set LONG before the War of the Ring.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Holly and Eruana chatted idly as they made their way to the dressmakers,

"Ethiriel is very good," Eruana said, simply. Holly nodded and asked,

"Does she make your dresses?"

She tried to keep her sentences simple and understandable for the elleth. Eruana spoke well, but he vocabulary was limited. Eruana nodded,

"Yes, many. She has skill." Holly smiled, looking forward to wearing something other than the simple green dress. They walked in companionable silence for what seemed like ten or so minutes. They came upon a small talan and Holly could the musical sound of chattering ellith inside. According to Eruana, there were many seamstresses in Caras Galadhon, but Ethiriel was, in her distinct opinion, the best. They walked into the talan and there were three blonde ellith standing there. One being fitted for a gown, one pining the gown, and another surveying from a distance, pointing and scrutinizing the cut and flow of the fabric. Even unfinished, the dress was lovely. It was a pale, shimmering grey, adorned with small freshwater pearls and beads of crystal glass on the sleeve and hem. The elleth who was closest to the door turned around at their entrance and greeted Eruana warmly. This must be Ethiriel, thought Holly.

Ethiriel was very tall, almost as tall as Galadriel, she thought. Galadriel was the tallest elleth that Holly had seen so far. She seemed nearly as tall as her husband, Celeborn, and Haldir, who were the tallest ellyn she had seen so far. Unlike most ellith, however, Ethiriel's hair was curly, falling down her back in big, thick waves of silvery-blonde hair. Eruana, herself, had more golden-blonde hair, fairly straight, curling lightly at the ends, and Haldir and his brothers had the same straight, silver-blond hair of most inhabitants of Lothlórien. Somehow, despite the general uniformity of the elves of Lothlórien, Holly was beginning to be able to spot their differences. Herself, with her long, dark brown hair, seemed very out of place in Caras Galadhon. She wondered if there were any elves in any of the other elven realms who looked like her.

Ethiriel remarked on all these things as she fitted Holly for dresses. Ethiriel, like Eruana, spoke limited but functional common. Thankfully, most of her vocabulary was trade-related, and she was able to communicate words such as 'length', 'sleeves', and the names of colours with relative ease. Eruana repeated each of these words, practicing them in common. In turn, Holly asked for the Sindarin word, and she, too, practiced her Elvish vocabulary.

Ethiriel was assisted by a slight elleth named Melenia. She remained mostly silent, only meeping quietly at Ethiriel's snaps and criticisms. Melenia did not seem to speak any common at all, and so Holly could not tell her what a fine job she thought she was doing. At first, Holly had requested more dresses similar to the one she had been wearing for the last two days. At this, Eruana snickered and Ethiriel grinned.

"This dress for leisure. For home." said Eruana between giggles. "Not wear outside of talan."

Holly blushed hotly, realizing that she had basically been traipsing around the city in a glorified nightdress for two days. Between Eruana and Ethiriel's understanding of common, Holly managed to convey her preferences and they settled on three dresses.

"Two dresses for day," said Ethiriel, pointing at the two swathes of fabric they had selected –

one of light grey, another of sage green, "One for night. Pretty one."

The pretty one would be made of a light, lavender shade. Ethiriel draped the silken fabric over Holly's shoulder as though to illustrate how this colour was 'pretty'. Indeed, the lavender brought out the green in her eyes and contrasted nicely with her dark hair. "Dark hair, nice with colour." Ethiriel stated with a smile.

Holly smiled appreciatively and nodded. Ethiriel began to put away the fabrics, making small notes on a sheet of paper at her desk. Holly considered the dresses for a moment then addressed the two ellith, "Eruana, Ethiriel?" they turned to look at her. "Could I also have pants?"

They both looked at her in confusion. Holly bit her lip and tried again, "Trousers?"

Still, nothing. Eruana shook her head, not understanding. "Breeches?"

Eruana's eyes lit up with understanding, but then sudden went dark again, "Holly," she began carefully, "Ellith wear dresses."

Holly understood immediately – elven women did not wear trousers. However, as she thought this, Ethiriel tsked and swatted her hand at Eruana, muttering something in Sindarin. Eruana seemed to make a face of concession, though she did not seem pleased. Ethiriel addressed Holly again, "Yes, breeches. Leather?"

Holly nodded, not really knowing what else breeches could be made of here. Ethiriel was clearly either more modern than her new friend, or not wanting to displease a guest of Galadriel's. Melenia scampered off in search of swatches of leather. She returned with several samples, from which Holly chose light, thin doeskin. It was soft and supple to the touch. Ethiriel muttered to Melenia, who scampered off again and returned with bolts of material that seemed like wool. "For cloak."

Holly chose a deep, muted forest green and Ethiriel bowed her head appreciatively. She returned to her notes and took down Holly's selections. Ethiriel informed Eruana that the clothes would be finished in about a fortnight, and they could return then. Eruana muttered something to Ethiriel and she nodded in understanding. Holly did not know what they were speaking of, but moments later Eruana was nudging her out of the seamstress' talan and bidding Ethiriel a cheery goodbye. They had spent nearly all morning there and Holly desperately wanted a bath. She asked Eruana how to get to the hot springs from where they were,

"Easy!" announced Eruana. Then, she looked puzzled, as if she wanted to explain to Holly exactly how to get there, but could not. Instead she opted to show Holly herself, "Follow!"

Holly obliged and followed the elleth down a path to their left. As they walked, Holly asked her questions about her and Orophin, "When did you and Orophin get married?"

Eruana stopped walking for a moment and seemed deep in thought, as though both counting and trying to figure out how to say the complicated number in common. She gave up on how to say three-hundred and fourty-seven years ago this October and said, "Over three-hundred year."

Holly gaped. Imagine being married for over three-hundred years? Eruana noticed Holly's shock and winked at her, "Not very long."

"Not very long?" Holly repeat with laughter. She'd been married over ten times longer than Holly had been alive! Actually, she thought, that was not true. Apparently she had been alive for well over eight-hundred years, though she still could not wrap her head around the number. Eruana wrinkled her nose and giggled,

"Yes, correct. It is long. Too long." she laughed with a heavy sigh. The two women broke into peals of laughter. "Today eve, you eat? My talan?"

Holly broke into a grin at Eruana's request, "You want me to come eat dinner with you tonight?"

Eruana nodded enthusiastically, her golden hair bouncing about below her breast. "I, Orophin, Rúmil, you."

Holly took Eruana's hand in hers and squeezed it with happiness, "Oh yes! I would be happy to." Eruana clapped her hands together with pleasure and grinned at her new friend. Rúmil and Orophin would be returning to the borders tomorrow. Their patrol was set to be gone for two weeks – it would be nice to have a small gathering to send them off.

They continued down the path. It veered ever so slightly to the right and then forked. To one side was the centre of Caras Galadhon, and to the other was a well-worn path that led down a small hill. "Springs there," she pointed down the hill. "Bring clean."

Holly furrowed her brow for a moment, trying to understand what Eruana was saying. Eruana made a motion as though washing herself, and then pointed to her hand. _Bring soap! Brings things to clean with!_ "Ah, yes, bring soap. _Le hannon, Eruana."_

"Soap." Eruana repeated. _"Gl_ _û_ _dh."_

 _"Gl_ _û_ _dh."_ Holly repeated back to her. "Soap."

Eruana smiled and nodded. Holly bid her goodbye and made her way down to the centre of Caras Galadhon and to her talan. She was happy to have made a friend today.

* * *

Holly had collected her small vials of soaps and oils, wrapped them in a linen towel. She was not pleased to have to change back into her wrinkled, worn 'nightdress', but for the moment she had nothing else to wear. Perhaps this evening she would ask Eruana if she could borrow a dress until hers were done at the dressmakers.

She found her way back to the fork in the road that Eruana had showed her, and made her way down the hill. As she walked further down the slope, the air grew humid and warm, and she knew she was going in the right direction. In the distance, she could see the many pools of steaming water coming from the ground – they looked deserted. It was no wonder, most of the elves were probably working or making themselves useful, not taking luxurious afternoon baths. As she approached the nearest pool, she breathed in the heavy air. It smelled of herbs and grass and flowers – likely the soaps and products used by the elves who bathed there. She was about to settle in but noticed that she could easily been seen from down the path. Instead, she continued further, past a great mallorn tree that obstructed a smaller pool from view.

As she rounded the corner around the tree, she realized that she was not alone. From the corner of her eye she saw long, silver-blond hair and a broad, muscular chest sticking out from one of pools. With a yelp she ran back behind the tree, hiding herself from view. She heard movement in the water and then a voice call to her,

"Holly?" the voice asked. The unmistakeable, deep, slow drawl of none other than Haldir. Holly let out a deep breath to ease her embarrassment. The hot, sticky air did nothing to sooth the red flush growing on her cheeks.

"Haldir!" she called, trying desperately to sound casual. She heard a dry chuckle from his direction and frowned in annoyance. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that you were here."

She heard more movement in the water, and soon he was peering around the bottom of the tree trunk and up at her, "It is no matter. Do you wish to bathe?"

"Yes," she answered. She did not look at him, abashed at his apparent nakedness. "But I do not wish to bother you."

"It would be no bother. Please, join me." he answered, and she heard him swim back to his previous spot on the outer edge of the pool.

"J-join you? In there?" she sputtered. _Naked?!_ She heard him laugh.

"Yes, how else do you intend to bathe? From the grass?" he asked, sarcastically. Holly felt suddenly extremely warm. Still, she managed to bristle at his comment,

"No, of course not. But you are in there, and you are not clothed. Would it not be inappropriate?" She couldn't believe she was having this conversation. Back home it would be utterly preposterous to even suggest that two strangers bathe in the same pool, naked. She wondered if maybe he was playing a joke on her, or teasing her.

Haldir swam back to her position by the tree and looked up at her again, with sincerity in his eyes, "Elves are not so self-conscious as humans. I assure you, the springs are a public place, used by all, elflings, ellith and ellyn alike. I shall not look as you enter, on my honor."

When she did not respond, mentally grasping for something to say, he continued, "Unless, you are too straight-laced to take a simple bath in the company of another. Then I shall move to another pool."

Holly stepped out from behind the tree, still clutching her towel and soaps in her hands. She looked down at Haldir, who was staring at her challengingly, an eyebrow raised in interrogation. Holly stepped over to the side of the pool opposite him. She sat down beside the edge and gingerly dipped her foot in. The water was very warm, smooth and pleasant against her skin. She thought about coming back later, when she could be alone, but there was no guarantee that the springs would not be occupied, even then. With a sigh she looked over at him. He was leaning on the edge of the pool, elbows up on the grass and his chest almost fully exposed. The ends of his hair were wet and stuck to his shoulders. His face glistened with sweat and steam from the hot water. Holly felt a bubble of interest rise in her stomach and flutter around her chest. These elves were too handsome for their own good.

"Turn around." she said hotly, gesturing with an outstretched finger for him to face the tree. His face impassive, he turned around obligingly and Holly quickly shed her dress and laid her towel and soaps out on the water's edge. She sat on down and dangled her feet in water. Hearing her stir and the water disturbed, Haldir cocked his head to the side as if to turn around. Still very naked and very exposed, Holly yelped and jumped into the pool.

"I was not going to turn around, I was simply going to ask if you were in the water yet." he announced as he finally did turn around. Holly rolled her eyes at him and pushed her now wet hair back from her forehead. As if not even noticing her, Haldir leaned back on the edge of the spring, closed his eyes and let his head hang back, exposing his neck.

Holly said nothing and stretched an arm out to grab a vial of soap. She poured the sweet-smelling hair soap into her hand and began to lather her hair. It felt so good to be clean, and thoroughly clean. Her bath had been exquisite, but she always preferred bathing in rather _more_ water than could fit in a bath. What she wouldn't give for a _shower,_ she thought.

"Your soap smells very nice." Haldir remarked conversationally, still in the same position as before. Holly wiped the last of the soap from her eyes and dunked her head under the water for one more quick rinse.

"It does, I do not know the smell." she said, reaching for the bar of soap she had brought with her. Her hands under the water, she began to wash her feet and legs, working her way up until she was washing her arms and back.

"It is Elanor, it is the white flower that grows all over the wood." he stated simply. He then brought his head forward and opened his eyes, still leaning backward. He watched her clean her shoulders and back. She reached a hand back and look strained as she attempted to wash the middle of her back without completely exposing her front. Haldir could not help but be amused at her apparent need to hide herself from him. It was not the elven way, to be so self-conscious.

 _A strange after-effect of having previously lived as a human, no doubt._

Holly averted her eyes to the water under his gaze. She understood that the elves lived differently than she had, but she felt extremely self-conscious with him there, watching her. She was careful to move in a way where nothing was exposed, but still, she wished he would just go away.

Haldir watched her continued struggle to wash her back and could not bite back the comment that threatened to escape his lips, "Would you like some help with that?"

Holly froze and looked at him like a frightened doe. Had he not been so certain that she would not risk exposing herself to him, he would have thought that she was ready to leap out of the pool and bound away in fright. Her mouth opened slowly as though to expel some witty retort, but then it snapped shut when she realized that he was teasing her. She narrowed her eyes at him, "No, thank you."

Haldir smiled sardonically and resumed looking up at the sky, watching the way the light reflected off the deep green tops of the mallorn leaves. Holly floated there in the water, now feeling very clean, but not wishing to get out just yet. Even Haldir's irritating presence could not move her to leave the warm pool just yet. Taking a cue from the very relaxed-looking elf in front of her, she leaned her head back and looked at the sky, letting the still water soothe her anxious muscles. After a moment, Haldir spoke again,

"Do you have any idea what you shall do in Lothlórien?" he asked, moving out from the shade of the tree he was under and closer to her, into a patch of sunlight a few feet away. She looked at him thoughtfully.

"Truthfully, I don't completely understand what I am currently doing here, let alone what I am to do in the future." she said, honestly. He nodded slightly, looking pensive,

"Might I make a recommendation?" he asked, that stubborn eyebrow cocked again in question. She nodded, waiting for his advice, "Perhaps you should consider healing. Do you have other knowledge of plants and herbs, other than of the one you used on my arm?"

"Feverfew, we called it," she responded. She felt her shoulders relax under the easy conversation as it turned to thoughts of home, "Yes, at home I worked in a shop that sold salves, poultices, soaps and ointments. We made everything ourselves. It was much like...like an apothecary, if you will."

Haldir made a face of approval and interest, "You may have knowledge of plants and remedies that we do not use. You may be of use to our healers. The borders of the forest grow more and more dangerous, we are sending back and increasing number of wounded wardens."

Holly looked at him as he said this, seeing the regret that had settled on his features. He looked down at his fingernails and made to wash them in the water, "Maybe, thank you. I will look into it." she smiled politely at him. After a moment, she asked, "What do you do here?"

Haldir looked up from his ministrations on his hand, "Me? I am the Marchwarden of Lórien. I am captain of the Galadhrim."

She looked at him, utterly confused by the words he had just spoken. Haldir rolled his eyes slightly and sighed, "I am captain of the guard, if you prefer. Marchwarden is my title. The Galadhrim are the inhabitants of Caras Galadhon."

"Captain," she repeated. "We have captains back home too. That is a very important position, you must be very proud," she said honestly. He certainly seemed like a fearsome captain. He had been nothing but kind to her so far (with the exception of some dry remarks and light teasing, she noted), but she could see when he furrowed his brown and frowned, how his wardens could respect him and his enemies fear him. Holly, herself, had been intimidated by his size and demeanor upon their first encounter. She was not entirely sure if she was not _still_ intimidated by the elf now.

Haldir smiled at her, "Yes, I am. And proud of my wardens, too. But I have been Marchwarden for over a thousand years, it is not quite so impressive to me as it is to you."

Suddenly, Haldir looked up at the sky and sighed, "I must go. It is nearing sunset and I must depart for the evening meal."

Holly looked up at the sky, too. She could not have looked at a more opportune moment, for Haldir had hopped out of the pool and was walking around stark naked, collecting his breeches and tunic from a nearby tree branch, and strutting over to his towel that lay on the grass. Holly unleashed a squeak of surprise before looking in the opposite direction, at the path that led back to the city. Haldir rolled his eyes for what must have been the third time in their short interlude, and donned his breeches.

Suddenly a boot-clad foot stepped in front of her view and she looked up to see a still tunic-less Marchwarden staring down at her. She stammered something about also having to leave and prepare for dinner,

 _"Maer aduial, Holly."_ Haldir said. "That means 'good evening'."

Holly continued to look up at him, studiously ignoring his bare chest. _"Maer aduial,"_ she repeated, "enjoy your evening."

"And you." he said with a polite bow of his head, before walking down the path, patting the last of the water droplets off his skin and throwing his tunic on before heading back into the city. Why he couldn't have done that before bidding her a good evening, Holly did not know. Now that she was mercifully alone, she pushed herself out of the pool and dried off quickly, hoping to remain unseen by any other strangers this evening. She put her loose green dress back on and also made her way back to her talan to prepare for dinner at Eruana's.

* * *

A/N: So, I said things would get a little more fun, didn't I. :) Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Ok guys, don't make me beg for reviews. I may update faster if I get more reviews, just saying.

* * *

Chapter 7

Holly walked naked around her talan. Well, naked was not quite the correct word. She was wrapped in a towel, but her wrinkled, worn, green dress lay at the foot of her bed. She loathed the idea of putting it back on, she would almost rather _be_ naked than put the dress back on. Barring the fact that it vaguely smelled of sweat and was showing signs of wear, she had recently found out that it was not quite appropriate day-wear.

She flopped on her bed and sighed. She lay back and stared at the ceiling, feeling forlorn. Her first social engagement in Caras Galadhon and she couldn't even present herself well. Just as she was coming to terms with the idea that she would have to put the dress back on, and cursing herself for not having thought to wash it earlier, she heard a knock on the door. She pulled up her towel and adjusted it , and walked toward the door.

"Eruana!" Holly exclaimed upon seeing the elleth. Eruana smiled back and raised a basket,

"Clothes!" she smiled, pushing the basket into Holly's hands. Excitedly, Holly took the basket and walked over to the bed, motioning for Eruana to follow her. "I bring for you. You have no dress."

"Oh, thank you, Eruana! I was just sitting here thinking about how horrible I would look at your dinner party in my dirty dress."

Eruana stared back at her blankly and Holly realized that she had perhaps spoken too quickly for her friend to understand. _"Le hannon, Eruana._ I needed this."

The elleth smiled and sat down as Holly unpacked the basket. Inside, there were two dresses, a tunic and a pair of leather trousers. Holly unfurled the first dress, simple, white, with long trumpet sleeves and a deep neckline. Holly's eyebrows shot up and she looked at Eruana who only smirked back at her. The second dress was a pale blue. The modest neckline was trimmed in silver piping and the sleeves were tight and went three-quarters of the down her arm. With the dresses she had also brought a pair of white slippers, but Holly noticed that they were slightly too big for her.

It was with excitement that Holly pulled out the trousers and tunic. The tunic was simple and grey, much like the uniform of the wardens she had met on the border. The trousers were of a similar material to those she had ordered from Ethiriel, but she noticed that they seemed a little...long...and a little...loose. She looked up at Eruana with a funny expression, "Eruana, where did you get these?"

She held up the breeches by way of demonstration. Eruana looked sheepish for a moment and looked down at the ground casually, "Orophin breeches..."

Holly let out a very un-ladylike snort. She thought about wearing the trousers to dinner and seeing Orophin's face as she waltzed in in his own pants. Eruana shrugged, "You want breeches. Orophin have."

Holly laughed and tried them on for size. They were a bit long, but she could easily roll them up. The tunic fit perfectly and she thought this must have been Eruana's. Eruanna smiled in approval, happy to see that Orophin's old trousers fit Holly. They were always a little snug on him, especially as he got older and more muscular. Little did Holly know, but these trousers were over a hundred years old, but only seldom worn by her husband. They were not his most favoured pair of breeches. Pleased that Holly was happy with the clothes she had brought her, Eruana stood up from her seat at the desk, "I go. Dinner in two hour. My talan close – I send Rúmil."

"You'll send Rúmil to come get me?" Holly asked in confirmation. Eruana nodded. Holly thanked her again for the clothes and Eruana left.

 _"_ _N'i lû tôl! Novaer!"_ she said, gliding down the stairs, golden hair billowing behind her.

Holly shut the door and put the two dresses on hangers, storing them away in the armoire in the bathing room. Still in the comfortable trousers, Holly began combing out her hair. Without the benefits of a hairdryer and styling tools, her long, dark hair was a little frizzy but falling in pretty little waves. Not the luxurious waves of Ethiriel, but small ripples.

She brushed it out several times but it continued to frizz. Screwing up her face in dissatisfaction, she looked around the talan for something to use on her hair. She walked to the bathing room and remembered the sweet-smelling floral oil she had used the other day. It carried the same scent as the soap she had used earlier. She stood in front of the mirror and poured the tiniest drop of oil into her palm and rubbed her hands together. She then smoothed out the frizzes in her hair with the oil, pleased at the effect. It was not enough to make her hair look greasy, but enough to give it a lovely smell and a nice sheen. She ran her fingers through her hair and used the rest of the oil on her hands to tame her ends. She had also found, at the bottom of the basket Eruana had brought her, what appeared to be small ribbons and hair ties.

Holly thought about putting her hair in a simple braid and utilizing her only hair elastic, but she felt like wearing her hair down this evening. After all, she was relishing the feeling of being clean and smelling nice, she did not want to hide her hair away. Besides, she had always hated leaving her neck exposed for some reason. The feeling made her uncomfortable, and now with her new ears, she felt doubly conspicuous, despite blending in with the general elven population of the Golden Wood.

She pulled two strands of hair back from her face and fastened them securely behind her head. There, her hair was down but out of her face. Feeling daring, she settled on the simple white dress with the bold neckline. It was none so low as some she had seen back at home, nothing like what a Hollywood celebrity might wear, but it was low for Holly, who was typically conservative with her clothing.

Putting on her slippers, she felt quite satisfied with her appearance. The dress was lovely and comfortable, and she felt very elegant. Despite the general inconvenience of having to look and act graceful while wearing them, there was something to be said for these delicate gowns.

Holly did not think it had been two hours since Eruana left (she must remember to ask Eruana about where she could procure a clock, if such a thing existed here), Holly decided to go out to her balcony and enjoy the evening air. This way, she would see Rúmil coming. There was no chair out there, but she was satisfied to lean on the railing and look out into the lantern-lit trees. The elves had very open homes – she could see couples dining together, lone elves reading on their beds, playing cards with friends, or much like her, enjoying the nighttime air. A few telain had drawn curtains with light shining from behind, and it did not take Holly long to surmise what was likely happening behind the shades.

She was enjoying the silence when she heard the soft footsteps of an approaching visitor. She turned her head to the left and saw Galadriel gliding toward her, barefoot, light steps barely touching the forest floor. The lady smiled at Holly, giving her a soft look that both intimidated and awed her.

"Good evening, Ercassiel." the lady said in greeting. Holly bowed her head slightly,

"Good evening, _hiril vuin_." she said, adopting the title she noticed Haldir and others use. Galadriel made a face of appreciation, looking very pleased,

"I see you are adopting our ways quickly. I expected as much." she walked up the stairs to Holly's talan and standing before her, glowing dimly in the dusky light of the evening. "I had hoped to run into you. I wish to see how you fair, Ercassiel."

"I am doing well, my lady, thank you." she responded politely, smoothing her skirts with nervousness. "Your people have been very kind, particularly Eruana."

"Ah yes, Orophin found a wonderful elleth in Eruana." Galadriel commented in agreement, "I sense that you are still troubled by recent events."

Holly looked away and braced herself on the railing. Any reminder of 'recent events' was likely to bring tears to her eyes.

"Do not be troubled. I do not wish to speak of it, only to tell you that this, too, will pass. I believe you will come to think of Lothlórien as your home, someday." said Galadriel, resting her elegant hand over Holly's. "It pleases me that you have made friends. Perhaps when the time is right we may find you something to occupy your days."

"The devil finds work for idle hands." Holly stated in agreement. Galadriel smiled at the proverb and laughed mellifluously,

"Yes, indeed." she released Holly's hand moved away from the railing. "Very well, I am satisfied. Enjoy your evening, Ercassiel. Send word if you require anything, anything to make your transition more comfortable."

Galadriel made her way back down the stairs. Holly was about to bid her farewell when a question bubbled up inside her, "Wait, my lady!"

Galadriel stopped walking and turned back toward the Talan, waiting for Holly to speak. Holly took several steps down the stairs, closing the distance between them and dropping her voice to a low whisper, "Who am I?" she began shakily, "That is, who am I to tell people I am? Only yourself, Lord Celeborn and Haldir know my true story."

Galadriel smile sympathetically at the young woman, "Ercassiel, I do not believe you were sent back to Middle-Earth to hide who you truly are. I would advise you to embrace your tale. Let others see you for what you are. Those worthy of your friendship will welcome you, regardless."

Holly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my lady."

Galadriel made her way back down the path, her ethereal glow illuminating her way. Holly watched her disappear behind the great trunk of a large mallorn, thinking to herself that she would follow the Lady Galadriel anywhere she went, to the Undying Lands and back again. She could see why her wardens, her sentinels and all the inhabitants of Lothlórien admired her. She was both wise and kind, understanding and sage. She felt grateful to have the sound advice of the Lady of the Golden Wood during these trying times.

* * *

Holly was deep in thought, about her future, about her past, when Rúmil approached quietly. She heard his coming but it did not register. She was startled from her reverie when he spoke her name. She faced him a smile, feeling more at peace than she had in her last two days in Lothlórien. Rúmil smiled jovially back at her and outstretched his arm. Holly walked down the stairs of her talan and hooked her own arm into his. After all, he was her dinner escort.

"Beautiful." said Rúmil, looking at her with kind eyes and gesturing to her outfit and hair. Holly beamed at him and spoke the only words of Sindarin she had yet mastered,

 _"Le hannon, Rúmil!"_

"You are welcome." he responded. As they walked, they spoke idly of the forest, Rúmil showed her different buildings and structures, explaining their uses in common where he could, and where he could not, he engaged her in a lively game of charades, miming out words and giving her the elvish terms for things. Holly appreciated his rambunctious lesson. She got the distinct impression that Rúmil was the youngest of the three brothers, and the most carefree. She wondered if he had a partner, like Orophin. She imagined Rúmil's partner to be as lively and cheerful as he seemed to be.

As it turned out, Orophin and Eruana's home was not so far from her talan. It was much larger than her small guest talan. Their talan seemed to wrap completely around the trunk of the tree it was set in. Its large front door was welcoming – carved with motifs of flowers, curls of water and tree branches. Eruana had evidently heard their approach. She was standing in the door, Orophin behind her as they greeted their guests.

Eruana greeted her brother in law with a kiss on the cheek, and Holly with a warm embrace.

"My, what a change this outfit makes from the housecoat you wore earlier." said Orophin with a wink. "My wife's discarded hand-me-downs suit you well, Holly."

Holly rolled her eyes dramatically, "Why, thank you, Orophin. My sole purpose was to impress you."

Eruana looked a bit lost at their exchange, but ushered Holly and Rúmil inside nonetheless. She sat them down at the large, square dining table. Holly sat down happily and Orophin poured her a glass of what called Dorwinion wine. As Holly sipped her wine in silence while the others chatted away in Sindarin, Eruana putting the final touches on their evening meal, she noticed something strange. There were five places set at the table.

Holly's blood ran cold, then it all seemed to rush to her face at once. There was a knock on the door and Holly's fear was realized in the flesh. In strode Haldir, apologizing to Eruana for being late. As he turned to greet his brother Rúmil, his eyes fell on Holly, sitting at the dining table.

His lips curled into a slow smile. She was looking much finer than he had seen her before. A _part from when her naked skin had glistened in the sun this afternoon_ , he thought wryly. Her white dress contrasted her dark hair, and the neckline left little to the imagination. Her hair hung down her back like a dark curtain, shielding the rest of her from his view. Her eyes flickered upward and met his. He saw something flash across them, but in an instant it was gone and replaced by cool indifference.

"Good evening, Holly. You are looking well." he said politely, taking the seat beside her. Holly groaned inwardly. She had not yet recovered from their semi-embarrassing encounter at the pools earlier. She thought she had managed to cover her surprised well and responded sharply,

"Yes, a lovely, relaxing bath will do that."

Haldir chuckled and smiled, "I couldn't agree more. A good bath is nothing short of invigorating, wouldn't you say?"

 _Urgh, that philanderer!_

"I wouldn't go that far." she responded dryly, taking a sip of her wine in a manner she hoped appeared casual. Haldir, in his many years of experience with the effect that he had on the ellith of Caras Galadhon, was sadly unconvinced by her nonchalant manner.

"Ah, you wound me, Holly. I thought we spent a nice afternoon together." he said with a slow smile, giving Orophin a knowing side-glance. Orophin all but choked on his wine. Eruana patted him lightly on the back and asked him what Haldir had said. Orophin obliged and translated, and Holly saw Eruana's face go from impassive to amused in three seconds flat. Soon enough, Holly's face was on fire.

 _How DARE he? My first night with friends and he feels the need to embarrass me in front of everyone._

Haldir leaned in closer to her, "Do not worry, I will say no more."

Holly scowled at him and looked away sharply. What had happened to the surly, serious elf she had met a day ago? Who was this bold flirt who sat beside her? Not one to forgo an opportunity to give as good as she got, she turned to face him and graced him with her sweetest smile,

"Nonsense, Haldir. Feel free to tell the others of how you strut about naked and mortified Lothlórien's newest resident." she quipped, batting her long eyelashes at him. Haldir froze, and his eyes hardened. Orophin burst into peals of laughter,

"Oh, brother you didn't!" he exclaimed, then proceeded to tell Eruana and Rúmil of what had transpired. Eruana's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Rúmil released a guffaw of laughter. Still staring Haldir down, Holly saw the tips of his ears redden. Haldir recovered quickly and shot Holly a rueful smile,

"Well played." he said with a small sigh, lifting his glass of wine up to his lips. He tilted the glass at her in recognition of her triumph before taking a rather large gulp. Holly said nothing, gloating silently.

"Well, if there is something you ought to know about Haldir, Holly, is that despite your initial impression of the severity of his character, he is also the most shameless flirt ever to walk the paths of Lórien." said Orophin, raising his glass in a toast, "Off comes the Marchwarden's uniform, off comes the Marchwarden's reserve. Come, let us sit and enjoy tonight's meal. I will not have Haldir scare you away."

Holly shot Haldir a sideways glance. He met her gaze boldly, that infuriating eyebrow raised in interrogation. She narrowed her eyes at him. He looked back to the dinner table, and addressed his brothers in conversation. Holly could not help it, she smirked slightly and bit her lip. She had to admit, maddening though he may be, she was entertained.

Still, the night was not over and she was sure he would find some way of tormenting her again before they were through.

* * *

A/N: Let the games begin :) Please review if you'd like more cheeky Haldir.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Holly all but cleaned her plate. Actually, she had essentially cleaned her plate by mopping up the excess sauce with a crust of bread. Orophin looked at her with amusement – she ate like no elf he had ever seen. At breakfast that morning she had inhaled her food, eaten like she was afraid it would disappear before her very eyes. Tonight, she had remained relatively silent, nodding along or simply "hmm"-ing in agreement, for there had always been some large spoonful of soup or some heaping bite in her mouth. He had to admit, his wife's cooking was wonderful, but Holly ate as though she had never tasted anything as good in her life, as though she had to enjoy every bite. She ate...she ate like a _mortal._

It was after much observation that he voiced his amusing opinion, "You eat with such voracity, Holly."

Holly paused, mid-bite of her last crust of sauce-soaked bread, and smiled wordlessly. She chewed slowly, endeavoring to appear more ladylike. It was too late, Haldir was already looking at her with an amused expression. She shot him a brief, cold look before swallowing,

"It is a testament to Eruana's wonderful cooking." she responded coolly, but then graced Eruana with a warm smile and pointed at her plate, rubbing her stomach in mock satisfaction. Eruana nodded, understanding her, and smiled warmly back. She was happy her new friend had enjoyed her food.

"Yes, Eruana is a wonderful cook. But...and forgive me if this seems a strange thing to say...but I have only ever seen mortals eat in such an enthusiastic fashion." Orophin continued, a playful smile teasing his lips. Haldir snorted, a rather un-elf-like sound,

"Yes, and orcs." he quipped. Holly's eyebrows shot up in surprised. She had since learned what an orc was. Eruana had evidently also understood the comment (indeed, the Sindarin word for orc, _yrch,_ was not so different), and kicked her brother in law under the table. Haldir jumped in his seat with a start and looked back to Holly with what appeared to be a sincerely apologetic look, "I apologize, Holly. I was only jesting."

Holly nodded her head to him politely, secretly amused by his comment, though she would never tell him that. "No, it's quite alright. I admit that while I do not usually eat like this, I have been more hungry recently. I have travelled and have been dealing with some...interesting news, it has left me with very little appetite. Until this morning I was not really in the mood to eat at all."

Orophin nodded in understanding, not wanting to push the issue further. He then turned to Rúmil and made some comment at him that made him blush and mutter something under his breath. Eruana giggled and Haldir only smiled wryly, "Orophin asks Rúmil if he has seen Merilwen of late. As you can see, Rúmil was greatly affected by this line of questioning."

Holly smiled slowly, her expression brimming with curiosity, "Are she and Merilwen dating?" Haldir seemed confused by her question, "Err, courting?"

He shook his head, "No, but Rúmil cannot muster up the courage to speak to her. Orophin teases him."

"She must be very beautiful." said Holly, looking at Rúmil. He blushed furiously but smiled at her, nodding. With Orophin translating, Eruana went on to tell her that Merilwen had long, strawberry-blonde hair, large green eyes, and the most pleasing figure. She went on to say that had her inclinations been different, she too would have been quite taken with Merilwen. Holly laughed and Eruana joined her. Orophin looked amused and slightly worried. Haldir looked as though he was having a grand time imagining what that coupling would be like, and Rúmil looked like he was a thousand miles away, undoubtedly day-dreaming of his lady-love.

The general laughter died out slowly and Holly took a sip of her wine. The others did the same. As Orophin laid his glass back down on the table, he looked to Holly with an interesting expression, "And what of you, Holly? Are there any elves in the Golden Wood that pique your curiosity?"

Holly had been about the pull her glass away from her lips but returned it to her mouth for a second gulp of the fragrant wine. She glanced at Haldir briefly before answering, but his face was utterly unreadable, "I am only recently arrive to Lothlórien. I have not had time to look."

It was not entirely true. She had gotten quite a long look at Haldir earlier, and while she was not sure if she _liked_ him, she had to admit that he at least had her curiosity piqued. She had eyes, after all.

It was Eruana who spoke next, "No? Many handsome ellyn here, Holly." she said, with no small amount of levity playing on her lips, "You are beautiful, also."

Holly looked into her lap, clasping her hands together, "Oh, please, no, I-"

"Yes, you are an exotic, dark-haired beauty from...Imladris? Edhellond? I forget which Haldir told me." continued Orophin, his expression impenetrable. He was testing her, she realized, he knew she was not being open with her story and he was prying for details. She felt Haldir stir beside her,

"Come, Orophin, I –" he began, setting his glass down on the table, intending to end the conversation. While he was amused by the dinner conversation (fueled by copious amounts of wine, no doubt. His brother was often obnoxious but usually less openly so), he was not sure how much the Lady Galadriel had permitted Holly to tell. He did not wish the displease the Lady by letting the conversation float into dangerous waters. But, it was Holly who cut him off,

"It's alright, Haldir. I do not mind telling your brothers and Eruana of my past. I have spoken with Lady Galadriel and she has encouraged me to share my story with whoever I decide is trustworthy." Holly answered slowly. She waited for him to object but he did not. Orophin sat there in anticipation, and Eruana and Rúmil seemed to have understood well enough.

"The truth is, I am not from Middle-Earth. I do not know precisely how I got here, but it seems your Valar saw fit to send me back. You see, my parents were from Imladris. They travelled to Edhellond to take one of the ships to Valinor when they were attacked. The Valar saved my sister and I and sent to Earth, my homeland, to protect us. We were found only recently by Mithrandir."

Haldir remained stoic and calm, but Orophin's expression was of sheer disbelief. He translated quickly for Eruana and Rúmil, who then adopted similar expressions.

"Yes, it's all very mysterious and strange, but it is the truth. Until recently I was not an elf, I was not immortal, I was living as a human. I didn't know anything of Middle-Earth, of Lothlórien, or elves. Elves do not exist in my world, everyone is human." Holly continued, not wanting to see their expressions. She felt their keen elven eyes on her, unsure whether to believe her strange tale or not. She was not sure how else to convince them. In the end, she did not have to, as Haldir confirmed her story,

"It is true. I was with her when Lady Galadriel explained everything." he supplied. The three elves in front of her seemed perplexed, but not displeased by this new information. Haldir looked back to Holly, "I am glad you spoke the truth, I was not looking forward to maintaining some elaborate tall-tale for you."

Holly suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. It was Eruana who spoke next,

"It do not matter, Holly." she said. Orophin whispered a correction to her and she tilted her head at him in thanks, "Does not matter. You are friend, you are welcome."

Holly thought back to Lady Galadriel's words. _You are welcome here, Holly. I am sure you are very confused and would like to know where you are. But first, I would like for you to know that you are welcome here. This is your home._ Holly reached forward at took the elleth's hand, squeezing it lightly. Eruana placed her other hand on top of Holly's in a comforting gesture. Orophin smiled at her from across the table and seconded his wife's sentiments, "Indeed, you are. Eruana has already taken a shine to you. Not to mention, you seem to handle Haldir well enough. He can be a handful."

Rúmil seemed to have understood as well, for her laughed brightly at Haldir's expense. Haldir rolled his eyes at his brothers, "Need I remind you that I am nearly a millenia your senior, and it is _I_ who handle _you_ and it is _you_ who is the handful."

" _Oh, yes, because the little trick you played on Holly this afternoon was most honorable and not at all mischievous,"_ retorted Orophin in Sindarin, not able to keep his annoyance to himself. His elder brother was forever lording over him, and in his own home!

 _"I never said it wasn't."_ Haldir responded innocently, sipping his wine.

 _"Shall I inform her of your deceit? Who will she think is the handful then?"_ Orophin asked, an eyebrow raised in a challenge (a family trait, Holly noted). Holly looked at the two in confusion, the tension at the table mounting as the two brothers bickered. Eventually Eruana snapped something at the two of them and they both were silenced.

"What is going on, Eruana?" she asked craefully. She may not yet speak Sindarin, but she was well aware when she was being spoken about.

It was not Eruana but Rúmil who answered her, shyly, "Holly, ellith and ellyn not bathe together, usually."

Holly's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she turned her head slowly, to look Haldir in eye. He averted his gaze and seemed to study the hem of his tunic intently. The corners of his mouth curled upward ever so slightly in what threatened to become a mischievous smirk. "You said," she began icily, her words coming out very, very slowly, "You said that elves were not as _prudish_ as mortals when it came to bathing."

Haldir did not look up from his hem but he could not suppress the wicked grin he was forming. "Yes, and it is a fact. The bathing pools are public and are used by elflings, ellith and ellyn alike." he said simply, "Just not usually at the same time."

Holly was infuriated. She was hardly mortified, as he had likely intended, but she _was angry._ Her hands made tight fists at her side and she glowered at him. Far from finding the ellith intimidating, however, Haldir found the spark in her eyes intriguing.

Truthfully, he did not know why he had played her false earlier. He had not meant to embarrass her, nor had he meant to anger her. When she had come to the bathing springs, looking tired and in dire need of a relaxing soak, he had not wanted to stop her. When she had seemed indignant at the idea of bathing with him there, he had simply...stretched to truth to pacify her fears. In truth, he did not think he would stay there with her long, but something had kept him there. Perhaps it was the way she had so girlishly tried to shield herself from his view, or the way she had stubbornly entered the pool despite her better judgment, but he had found himself curious about her.

Still, he had no decent explanation for why he had been so devil-may-care about his attire when exiting the pool. Now, sitting at the dining table, feeling not as ashamed of himself as he felt he should be, he found that he enjoyed the fire in her eyes, despite her anger at him. Still, afraid that the Lady Galadriel would be more displeased with him than she probably already was, he endeavored to apologize, but not without first throwing an extremely threatening glare at Orophin,

"I apologize, Holly. I did not mean to embarrass you. You seemed tired and in need of a bath, and I did not want to stop you. I should not have deceived you." he said, looking her in the eye intently. Her expression began to change and he could see the anger in her eyes begin to fade back to her usual coolness. Before they returned to normal, he thought he saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. _Quick to anger and quick to burn out,_ he thought to himself with interest.

"You did not embarrass me, Haldir. Where I come from what we did was far from scandalous. It would take a lot more than a skinny dip in a hot spring to embarrass me. I have seen a _great deal._ " she answered, looking him dead in the eye. Haldir thought about reminding her of her own reaction at the hot springs, but elected to hold his tongue for the sake of his hide.

"I am glad to hear it." he said, biting his inner cheek to keep from retorting. Holly's face assumed a haughty expression and she returned to her wine. Eruana and Orophin exchanged a look. They had learned a lot about their new friend tonight, indeed.

* * *

The next morning Holly woke in her bed, feeling a little more embarrassed than she had the day before. She had been emboldened by the wine and egged on by Haldir's infuriating attitude, but in truth she was not as confident as she had portrayed herself to be. Remembering the pools, their conversation at dinner, and Haldir's deep, penetrating stare as he apologized to her, Holly turned and buried her head in her pillow, letting out a muffled groan.

At some point, ever the responsible March Warden (Holly scoffed at the idea his being responsible at all), Haldir reminded his brothers that they were returning to the borders in the morning and ought to retire early. Rúmil had dutifully walked her back to her talan after they left. She had bid him goodnight with a genial smile, which he returned. She was happy to have gotten to know him a little better, and resolved to keep an eye out for Merilwen, his secret crush.

Holly was not one to sit around feeling sorry for herself, however. If she had done a poor job of convincing Haldir that she was was unaffected by what had transpired between them, she would do everything in her power to rectify that. First on the list was making herself useful. It was not just for her pride that she wanted to do this, but also for the Lady Galadriel. She had mentioned to Holly that she ought to find something to occupy her days, and she intended to. After all, she could not remain idle forever, frolicking around the forest and swimming in pools.

Her face flushed at the thought. Would that confounded event never leave her mind?! As if they had a mind of their own, her thoughts drifted to strong legs, a broad chest, and the arrogant, lazy smile of a certain exasperating elf. She shook her head exaggeratedly, as though to physically shake the images from her mind's eye.

 _I will show him that he can't make fun of me that easily. I'll show him that I'm not to be underestimated, that I'm to be taken seriously._

She would follow Galadriel's advice, that day, and seek out employment. Holly had a stubborn, pig-headed nature and she knew it. Hopefully, this time, instead of letting her stubbornness negatively govern her behavior, she could use it constructively. If he thought her easy enough to manipulate and if he thought his task of guiding her in Lothlórien a burden, then she would prove him wrong and relieve him of his duty. She would become self-sufficient, and she would not seek out his aid. He would return from the border with his brothers in two weeks' time to find her completely independent and thriving. This was her way.

Holly changed into her now-clean green leisure dress and carried her things to the bathing springs. Eruana had informed her yesterday that ellith typically bathed in the morning, often with their younger elflings, and ellyn bathed in the afternoon or evening. She had also mentioned that in the later evening, the pools could often be seen occupied by the occasional daring, amorous couple. She ignored the heat in her cheeks as she passed the same pool she had used yesterday. There were a few ellith bathing in a pool nearby, and she thought about introducing herself and joining them, but felt suddenly shy. She looked back at the empty pool that was so vivid in her memory, and set her things down beside it. Holly put her hair up into a coiled braid and began to disrobe.

She bathed quickly and changed into her tunic and breeches. She rolled up the pant legs and stuffed them in her boots. She let her hair down and buttoned up her tunic, leaving the top two buttons open as she would have back home. She did not see any other female elves wear tunics, so she did not know how they were typically worn here.

Only half-remembering her way, Holly set off for the healing telain. She remembered the small complex of adjoined buildings from one of her several tours. There were several telain, all attached together on multiple trees by a network of staircases and tree-bridges. There was also a large talan, built directly on the forest floor. _Smart,_ she thought. This was probably for emergencies – one could not expect and invalid or one carrying an invalid to navigate several flights of stairs. She marched with determination into the main building.

When she walked in, there was no one there. It was silent and peaceful, as one might imagine a healing house would be. The walls were lined with shelves that held supplies – herbs, vials, rolls of cloth, clean basins, and several rudimentary surgical tools. There were six cots in all, each bed perfectly made with a soft pillow and clean, crisps linen. _Whoever ran this healing talan was either very organized or not very occupied_ , she thought. Suddenly, she was shaken from her observations by the sound of someone coming down the staircase at the far end of the large, open room. It appeared to be a male elf, a rather typical blond, Silvan elf. He was wearing long, blue robes with deep pockets that seemed heavy with contents. He looked at her curiously from the bottom of the staircase,

 _"Tur- im natho cin?"_ he asked. He seemed old, for an elf. All of the elves she met looked like they could not be over thirty, despite their advanced age. While this was also true of this elf, there was something about him that seemed wise, and aged. He was much like Galadriel and Celeborn in that wa, she noted. Holly approached carefully, hoping the elf spoke common.

"I'm sorry, I do not speak Sindarin. Do you speak common?" she asked, moving closer to him. He nodded,

"Yes, I do. Can I be of assistance?" he asked, emptying his pockets on a large table in the centre of the room. He pulled out two books and a few vials of fluid. Holly steadied herself, having grown a little nervous is the last few minutes.

"Uh, yes. I was wondering...you see the Lady Galadriel...actually, Haldir, suggested that I look into learning from the healers of Lothlórien." she said, it all coming out in a jumble. He looked to her, nodding in understanding,

"Yes, Lady Galadriel mentioned that you might come here. You are Holly, are you not?" he asked distractedly, as though only half paying attention to her as he busied himself with tidying up the things he had just laid out on the table. She nodded at him and he introduced himself, "I am Nestarion. I am the head healer here."

"It's nice to meet you," she said, unsure of what to say next. He evidently sensed her trepidation and he filled the silence,

"You tended to Haldir's wound, did you not?"

"Yes."

"It was neatly done. I would have administered some stitches, myself, but it was well-done nonetheless." he said, barely looking at her, though his voice and words contained approval. Holly could not help but smile at the praise that she suspected was probably not often given. "Very well, I will teach you."

"Oh, thank you. I was hoping you would agree." Holly glowed with pleasure. She had not expected it to be so easy to convince him and she was happy the Lady had gotten there first.

"If the Lady Galadriel thinks it is a good idea, I am not one to argue with her." he responded simply. "You may go to the shelf there and fetch the roll of linen. You cut bandages – I will show you how it's done. Unless," he stopped for a moment, and finally turned his head to look at her, "you are otherwise occupied today?"

The question was another test of her mettle, she sensed, "Not at all. How large would you like the bandages?"

* * *

A/N: That's it for now :) I will update again this week, hopefully. Maybe we'll get to see how Haldir feels when he gets back from the border. We got a bit of insight into his mind today :) Please, please, please review! Good or bad! Thank you :)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Haldir walked slowly back to Caras Galadhon, admiring the trees, enjoying the way the sunlight streamed down to the forest floor, the bed of _elanor_ that carpeted the soft ground. Most of his wardens rushed home to their wives and families after returning from border patrols, but it had been many centuries since Haldir had something truly exciting to look forward to at home. That was not to say that he was unhappy – no, he was very content with his life. But, the he did not have Orophin's joy of returning to his wife, or Rúmil's excitement of once again being able to gaze adoringly at Merilwen from afar. This did not bother him and it also allowed him to leisurely enjoy his walk back into the city.

He had meant to return the previous week, but there had been a need to send half his patrol from the northern border to the eastern border, and he could not leave the northern border unattended. Their patrol had therefore been extended by one week. Three weeks on the border with naught but his wardens for company was long enough. He was looking forward to the company of others for the next three weeks.

Haldir entered the city and made his way toward the healing telain. As per his own procedure, he was to report for medical inspection before being relieved of his duties. It was a policy he himself had implemented several centuries earlier. Too many wardens were returning from the borders with what began as minor wounds, rushed back to their wives and lovers, leaving their wounds unattended. Often wounds would fester or worsen from lack of treatment, which was not only detrimental to the health of his wardens, but more often than not it also delayed their return to the borders, which inconvenienced his roster greatly. Therefore, it was with a sense of duty to himself and to his wardens that Haldir entered the healing talan knowing full well he was the picture of health. The patrol had been largely uneventful, a few skirmishes with goblins on the outer edges, but nothing of consequence.

As he walked in, he immediately noticed the dark-haired elleth. She was clad in the light blue robes of a healer and was bent over the shoulder of one of his wardens, Andarion, inspecting a bruised on his collar bone. He stood in the doorway for a moment watching her. She laughed at something Andarion had said and swatted his shoulder. He feigned pain and laughed at whatever she had said next. She looked well, he thought. Her long hair was pulled away from her face in braids, cascading down her back and over her shoulder in a dark sheet. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed and her smile was bright. Haldir smiled to himself.

He walked over to Andarion after Holly had walked away to fetch something,

"You are not unwell, are you, Andarion?" he asked his warden with sincere concern. Andarion shook his head,

"Nay, Marchwarden, I am well. Holly simply wishes to apply a poultice to my bruise to lessen the swelling, she says. She is taking a precaution." the elf responded. Haldir nodded at him, noticing the bruise on his collar bone. Holly returned to them then, carrying a small jar of a pungent mixture.

"Haldir!" she exclaimed, opening the jar. She looked happy to see him, he thought, surprised. Given the tension in their last encounter he had not totally expected this greeting. "You are back from the border, too, I see."

"Yes, I am. We were delayed a week." he answered. Holly then bent over Andarion's shoulder again to apply the foul poultice. "Eru, what is that?"

Holly grimaced, "It is a poultice of herbs and sulfur water. It helps with the inflammation and swelling, but it does not smell pleasant. Thankfully, Andarion here tells me that he is unattached and does not have to return home to a wife. He has no fear of smelling like an orc."

She then looked down at Andarion and apologized to him in Sindarin, explaining that the scent would fade very soon. Haldir could not hide the look of surprise on his face, "Your Sindarin has improved greatly since our last meeting."

Holly beamed at him, answering him in Sindarin, "Yes, Nestarion speaks to me only in Sindarin. I learn fast."

"You speak well." he said simply, not wishing to confuse her with complex terminology. She seemed to appreciate the compliment and bowed her head toward him, muttering her thanks in Common. "Perhaps we can speak more soon, but for now I would like to pass my medical inspection and take a bath. Would you?"

Andarion had put his tunic back on and Haldir took his place on the bench. Andarion thanked Holly enthusiastically and made his way out of the talan. Around them, other wardens were also being inspected. It was a busy day in the healing telain, changing of the wardens usually was. Those leaving for the border had to be cleared for duty, those returning had to pass medical inspection.

"Of course, Haldir. Are there any injuries you wish to tell me about?" she asked, with an air of professionalism. Nestarion was watching her from a distance, his elven ears keenly aware of every word she spoke, no doubt judging and analyzing her bedside manner.

He shook his head, "No, no tales of bravery this time. I am regretfully unharmed."

He looked up at her with a coy smile, letting one of his eyes drop into a quick wink. Holly giggled and rolled her eyes at him, "You should not say such things. There are few injuries this time, but Nestarion tells me there are often serious wounds."

Haldir's look darkened. He was well aware of the injuries and wounds that befell his wardens. He felt each of them keenly, feeling responsible for their well-being as their leader. Holly seemed to sense his change in mood and she quickly recovered, "I did not mean to imply that you don't take their well-being seriously. I know you do, all of your wardens speak very highly of you."

Haldir could hear the sincerity in her voice and decided to ignore her earlier joke. Placated by her apology, he smiled mischievously, "So you have been asking them about me?"

He felt her hands freeze – she had been inspecting his arms for cuts and bruises. He turned his head to the side and looked at her face. Her expression remained cool but the very tips of her ears had turned a little pink, or so he thought.

"Of course not. You are so arrogant. They spoke to me of you freely." she retorted. Haldir felt a yank at his tunic as she pulled it down to inspect the back of his neck. The harsh movement had not gone unnoticed and he heard Nestarion clear his throat at Holly in warning. She looked back at her teacher and softened her grip on Haldir's tunic. "I had forgotten how you were, Haldir. You walked in here and were so polite in front of Andarion, I forgot that the Marchwarden Haldir is only a facade that hides your true, self-important nature."

Sensing the jest in her words, Haldir laughed at her comment. He had to admit, she saw right through him. While he did bristle at being called self-important, he somehow did not entirely mind her teasing. Nestarion, however, obviously did not feel the same, and Haldir saw him walk over to the bench. Haldir felt Holly stiffen beside him and whispered, "My apologies, I seem to have gotten you in trouble."

Holly bit her lip. "Yes, well, you have a way of bringing out the worst in me."

"Holly, you are to be polite and professional with all of your patients. Do you understand me? I do not care if you and the Marchwarden are friends. In my healing talan, he is a patient." Nestarion commented in Sindarin, not unkindly, but firmly. Holly bowed her head in apology,

"Yes, Nestarion. I apologize."

Nestarion nodded at her, and walked away. Before he turned his head, Haldir could swear he saw a smirk across the healer's otherwise serious features.

Holly's face grew hot at the dressing-down that Nestarion had given her in front of Haldir. Not because he had reprimanded her, because she had deserved that. It probably was not appropriate to tease and insult the Marchwarden of the Galadhrim just as returned from duty. No, she flushed because Nestarion had called them friends. Is that what they were? Of course, Galadriel had put her introduction to Lothlórien in Haldir's hands, but did that make them friends? Holly usually enjoyed his company, but he was often infuriating and irksome, in addition to being clever and flirtatious. She supposed that friendships were built on wobblier ground before, however, and recovered from her embarrassment. She continued to inspect Haldir, helping him pull his dirt-encrusted tunic off his body. As usual, he wore a light under-tunic of linen. This piece of clothing she was more able to move aside to better inspect his chest and arms.

She ran her flat palms over the expanse of his chest, checking for swelling and pressing lightly, looking for any tenderness. She felt nothing but warm, soft skin over taught muscles. Holly swallowed unconsciously as she continued to feel his back and shoulders, gradually moving down to his arms. Unexpectedly, her heart-rate increased as she ran her hand over his bicep and felt the thin, raised line of the wound she had dressed several weeks before. She remembered the moment, leaning over his chest, commanding him to sit. As though through no volition of her own, she allowed her eyes to flicker upward and meet his, and spoke, "Does it still hurt? Does it give you trouble?"

He angled his head upward, meeting her gaze. His face was no more than a few inches from hers, she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he answered, "No, you did a fine job. Nestarion himself said so."

Suddenly very aware of their proximity, she stood up straight and smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt, "Excellent," she replied brusquely, "Well, Haldir, it seems you are well. You may go."

Haldir stood from the bench and picked up his dirty, folded tunic. He grabbed his pack, which h had earlier laid down on the floor beside the bench, and adjusted his under-tunic. He had no desire to put the filthy article of clothing back on, "Very well, thank you, Holly." he paused for a moment, as though thinking of something else to say, but ended with, "Have a good day."

And then he was gone, and Holly moved on to her next patient with an abrupt, "Next!" in Sindarin. The next warden at the door walked in and sat down on the same bench Haldir had recently vacated. She watched Haldir's back and he walked away.

* * *

With Nestarion's permission, Holly left the healing talan early that night and returned to her own home. She felt exhilarated from a day of hard work. Nestarion had warned her that the days when the patrols returned from the borders would be busy. With the rotation Haldir currently adopted, the pressure was lessened, but it was still very busy. On the one hand, she was exhausted. On the other, she felt a sense of pride from having healed the minor wounds and scrapes of Lothlórien's wardens. She understood that it was by their hand that Lothlórien's outer borders were kept safe. Galadriel's power protected the forest and the warden's protected its borders. It made her proud to treat their ailments. Of course, Nestarion never let her deal with anything more serious that a quick stitch and the application of salves, but in her first week he would not even left her speak to anyone, so progress had, indeed, been made.

It felt good to work with her hands, it felt good to contribute. She felt like a cog in the well-oiled machine that was Caras Galadhon. A small, barely noticeable one, but she was there. Her blue dress was covered in smears of poultice and specks of blood, but she did not mind. It was but proof of her accomplishments.

Holly couldn't help but wonder where this immense sense of pride had come from. She had been in Lothlórien a month, working with Nestarion for three weeks, and had rarely felt this way. She knew it had something to do with Haldir's return but would not admit it to herself. She could not explain why, but she wanted him to be proud of her, not to regret bringing her to Lothlórien. She did not think he did, but she wanted to be sure he never would. Holly had no small competitive streak, even going so far as to compete with herself. It was for this reason that nearly every waking hour that had not been spent with Nestarion in the past few weeks were spent in Lord Celeborn's library, studying Elvish texts. She had practiced her Sindarin constantly, asking Eruana to only ever speak to her in Sindarin. Indeed, her friend had gotten irritated with her, exclaiming that she, too, wanted to learn Common and it was not fair that Holly be allowed to practice her Sindarin while Eruana could not practice her Common. It was decided then, that Holly would speak to Eruana in Sindarin, and Eruana would speak to Holly in Common. Orophin, ever the scholar of the group, was impressed with both of their progress, and lamented that he never seemed as apt to teach with wife Common as Holly was.

Holly had inwardly beamed when Haldir had complimented her Sindarin. It was such a beautiful, melodic language, and Holly strove to do it justice. She felt pride when he had commented on how well she was doing. Nestarion had always said Haldir was hard to impress.

When Holly reached her talan, she saw a familiar face waiting on the terrace. Eruana stood there, waiting for her eagerly.

"There you are! I wait for you so long!" Eruana exclaimed in Common, bounding down the stairs at her. Holly stopped abruptly and giggled,

 _"What has you so excited?"_ she asked in halting Sindarin, _"Forgive me, I took long way, Lothlórien very peaceful."_

Eruana smiled and answered her in Sindarin, _"There is nothing to forgive, Holly. I am simply excited."_

"What for?" Holly asked in Common, guiding Eruana back up the stairs and into her talan. Eruana followed her in and shut the door behind her.

"Are you tired?" she asked her friend with a glint in her eye. Holly looked at her suspiciously. She had grown to like Eruana very much, as well as to know her very well, and she knew when her friend had a plan. Holly shrugged,

"Always, but I suppose I could stay awake a little while longer. Why?"

Eruana looked positively electric with excitement, _"Well,"_ she said, switching to her native tongue to better explain herself, _"it is customary that when the wardens return from the borders that we have a small celebration. Nothing big, they are quite common and not everyone will attend. It is at a place called Elenalcar, a clearing in the forest. There will be music and dancing and wine."_

Holly looked at her thoughtfully – she had not understood the whole of what Eruana explained, but caught the gist of it. She was inviting Holly to a party. She did have that new dress that they had picked up from Ethiriel. She had longed to wear the lavender gown, but with her new occupation, she was rarely able to wear anything but the blue robes of the healer in training, and the occasional pair of breeches. She _was_ tired, but she figured she could make an appearance and then give her friends the old Irish goodbye and slip out unnoticed. _"Very well, I will attend. Will you go with me?"_

Eruana smiled happily, _"Yes! Bring your dress and come to my talan, you can ready yourself with me and we will all go together."_

 _"Can I bathe first?!"_ she exclaimed laughing, going to the closet for her dress and slippers. Eruana rolled her eyes at her,

 _"Of course. We will go together. Do not wet your hair."_ she said, pulling Holly back out of the door. Holly followed her out.

* * *

She looked very good, she had to admit. Eruana had fashioned her hair so that it laid flowing down her back and was not tied or pulled up. She had put small crystals in her hair, held it only by very fine pins. They made a crown around her head, glinting in the moonlight. The crystals were mirrored on the sleeves of her dress, whose soft, gauzy fabric floated away from her body as she moved. Holly had to admit that she looked every bit the graceful elleth she was becoming used to being. Her body felt natural to her now, she was getting accustomed to her heightened senses and fluid movements.

Eruana and Orophin made a striking pair. Eruana wore a flowing gown of gold and silver, and Orophin matched her, clad in a tunic of white and gold. Together, they emitted a light glow, pulsating softly. From her studies, Holly imagined that this is what the light of the Two Trees must have looked like – soft and glowing, like the love between her friends, like the light of Aman.

She was caught up in her fond gaze when Rúmil opened the door, beckoning them to hurry lest the miss the best wine. Holly followed her friends out of the talan, and they began walking toward Elenalcar. She had since been informed that it was so named for its placement – Elenalcar was Quenya for _Star-Splendour_ , a reference to the clearing made by the _mellyrn,_ allowing its visitors to better view the stars and the shining light of Eärendil.

 _"So what dance do elves do?"_ Holly asked in Sindarin as they walked. It was Rúmil who answered,

 _"Do not worry, you shall not want for partners, I am sure. I will show you!"_ he responded happily, putting an amiable arm around her shoulders. Holly laughed,

 _"I am not good dancer."_ she said with a shake of her head. Rúmil looked disbelieving,

 _"Not possible, all of the Eldar have the innate ability to move with grace and you are no different. Perhaps you were not a good dancer, but you shall be now."_

 _"Very well...we will see."_ she responded in Common, shooting Eruana a look that said that she would not be dancing at all. Eruana returned a look that said the exact opposite.

As they began to approach the clearing, Holly could hear the upbeat music of lutes and harps, flutes and melodious voices. She saw the glimmering light of the green and silver lanterns that were scattered across the city at night. They were not needed, however, the light from the moon and stars was enough to illuminate the entire clearing, casting an ethereal, silver glow on their faces. There were many elves there, some dancing jovially, some sitting and conversing. All looked to be enjoying themselves, and the wine seemed to be flowing freely.

They entered the clearing and Rúmil immediately disappeared, reappearing what seemed like a split second later with four goblets, "Dorwinion wine," he supplied helpfully.

Holly took a large gulp and sat down on a nearby bench. Orophin pulled Eruana onto the dance floor, sloshing their wine about carelessly. Instead of giving him a look of reproach, Eruana took a big gulp and allowed herself to be swept away by her husband. Holly laughed at the pair as they whirled about the clearing.

For now, she was content to sit there and sip her wine, Rúmil had run off in search of Merilwen, no doubt. Holly was eager to meet this elleth but had not yet had the opportunity. She was deep in thought, admiring the way the elves danced and moved, enjoying her wine, when a long torso appeared in front of her. It bent slightly in a polite bow and she looked up to see Andarion there, smiling down at her,

 _"Would you like to dance, Lady Holly?"_ he asked, bowing his head. Holly felt a rush of panic. Rúmil had not yet shown her how to dance! She could not dance now, not without knowing the steps!

 _"Oh, thank you, Andarion. I am tired. I will sit."_ she responded with what she hoped was an apologetic look. Andarion took the rejection well,

 _"I understand, the return of the patrol must be exhausting. I wish you a good evening!"_ he said, bestowing a gleaming smile on her. Holly smiled back genuinely, but was pleased when he walked away to speak with another group of wardens.

Feeling happy that she had dodged that bullet, she returned to her wine. _This stuff is strong,_ she thought with a raise of her eyebrows. It was delicious, dry and fruity, but burned its way down her throat. She wondered how much this would be affecting her if she was still mortal. Knowing her tolerance, she would probably be on the floor right now, or more likely, making a fool of herself on the dance floor. Get enough drinks in her and she would be sure to find herself showing off her moves. Holly thought about how amusing it would be if she started dancing 21st-century Earth-style in front of the elves. As she pictured herself grinding on some poor, unsuspecting elf, she nearly inhaled her wine and snorted. She attempted to cover it with a discreet cough, but it did not go unnoticed as she hoped.

Her eyes met, deep, dark grey ones. The eyes sparkled with unspoken laughter and a smirk was forming on those otherwise serious features. Holly groaned inwardly, _of course he heard. Of course he did. Who else?_

She avoided eye-contact, looking back to Eruana and Orophin on the dance floor, now sharing a slower song, clutching each other affectionately. Still, from the corner of her eye, she saw the figure approach her slowly,

"Are you enjoying the party?" he asked sardonically, giving her a look from beneath lowered lashes. Holly looked up at him,

"Why, yes, I am, Haldir. Are you?" she asked, slightly annoyed. Of course he came over here just to tease her. Every time she thought she was starting to like him, he went and did something like that, that just reaffirmed her irritation with him. He sat down beside her,

"Oh, yes, very much. I am usually obliged to attend these events, as Marchwarden. But I find tonight I am truly enjoying the festivities."

She was surprised by his casual tone, and her annoyance dissipated. Perhaps he only meant to tease her briefly then be perfectly pleasant. "Well, that's good, then. It would do you well to let loose every once in a while. Your position must be stressful."

He looked at her and the corners of his lips curled upward, "Yes, I do like to let loose, as you well know."

 _Urgh! Nevermind._

"Oh, enough, Haldir! You continue to hold that day in the springs over my head. I told you, that was nothing where I am from. You can't get to me so easily. I will not rise to your comments!" she exclaimed with frustration, well aware that he had very much gotten to her and he knew it. He smiled obligingly, as though patting her on the head with his words,

"Yes, yes, you are right. I know nothing of your world. But then, you know nothing of ours." he responded, pointing out the truth. "That was no great matter here either, I told you that we elves are not as prudish as mortals."

"Oh, I'm not falling for this again. Soon you'll have me believing that elves dance naked in the moonlight and I should relieve myself of my dress." she said with a derisive laugh. Haldir threw his head back in laughter.

"I would never make such a claim. But I would not protest if you wished to test that particular theory." he answered, taking her glass of wine from her and taking a big gulp. Holly frowned at him, realizing he had finished the wine. He set it down between them and turned to look at her again, "So, tell me, why would you not dance with Andarion? He seemed quite taken with you today."

Holly smiled, "Andarion is a very nice elf, but I don't enjoy dancing." _Lies!_ Her mind screamed at her. Haldir seemed to be of a similar opinion,

"That can't be true. All elves have a love of dance."

"Well, I don't." she said, unconvincingly. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or his presence, but she found her resolve shaking. If he asked her to dance, and she doubted he would, in that exact moment she would not say 'no'. He was leaning closer to her, the music was loud and despite their elven hearing, they struggled to hear each other over the laughter and conversation of the many elves. She could see the moonlight glinting on his silver-blond hair. It looked soft. It was pulled back from his face in the customary warrior braids. He was wearing a grey and silver tunic, tight across his chest and arms, as though he'd been meaning to invest in a more accommodating one but spent too much time on patrol to do so. As he leaned back against the wall behind him, she saw his muscles flex and pull at the fabric. In that moment, he looked not unlike a panther, lethal and beautiful, reclining backward and stretching his legs languidly. Suddenly, he moved from this position and sat with his elbows on his knees, leaning in toward her,

"I think you do." he pulled her up by her arms and yanked her quite unceremoniously onto the dance floor. There was a cheer from the wardens as their captain led the new elleth into the clearing. Her reserve totally shattered, her face grew hot and she stared down at her feet as the musicians changed the tempo the song, switching to something faster. She looked up and met his challenging eyes. That was the only word that could describe them. She had said white, he had said black. She said she wouldn't dance, he said she would. And there she was, glowering at him on the dance floor. He flashed her a dazzling, but somewhat insincere smile, and they were off.

* * *

A/N: Heehee be prepared for a little drama next chapter. This is the longest chapter yet! You're welcome ;) Please review if you want more...reviews make me write faster. Tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

She was annoyed at him, he could tell. One of her hands was in his, the other was balled up into a tight fist on his shoulder. This was not exactly how he had intended for this to go. Still, he was rather enjoying himself and was determined not to let her sour face spoil his mood. He had had quite a lot of Dorwinion wine, he had a pretty elleth in his arms, and he was back from the borders for three weeks. He had no intention of getting into a mood.

Holly was in a mood, however. She barely made eye contact with him as he twirled her around the dance floor. While his wardens had cheered them on at first, her unwillingness to dance with him had been made clear by this point, and they were now snickering at their leader. Haldir was going to lose his reputation if she kept this up. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then apologised,

"I am sorry, Holly. I did not mean to force you to dance," he said, looking down at her. She raised her face to his and raised her eyebrows as though she did not entirely believe him. He cocked his head to the side in concession, "Every beautiful elleth should be on the dance floor. I simply wanted to pay you a compliment."

Her eyes softened at this. _Ah ha! A few gentle words, then._

"I actually do like dancing," she admitted, biting her bottom lip lightly. Haldir eyed her mouth as she spoke, "It's just that Rúmil was supposed to show me the moves, I don't know them."

"You seem to be doing well." he remarked, looking down at her feet. Her eyes followed his and she eyed her steps,

"Yes, it doesn't seem to be that different than our own dances."

"I am surprised that you are still on your feet. Dorwinion wine is very strong. How many cups of wine did you have?" he asked playfully, his mouth turning up at the corners, forming a slow, cautious smile.

Holly frowned at him, "Three," she said firmly. "No, four. Well, three and a half, you drank the last half of my last cup."

"My, aren't we the little lush." he responded, guiding her slowly away from the centre of the dance floor and closer to the outer edge. "Careful or you may find yourself dancing naked in the moonlight." She laughed at his joke, rather more enthusiastically then she usually did. He liked the way she threw her head back in laughter. Her long, elegant neck was in full view, arched back. He imagined another situation in which head might be thrown back in pleasure and shifted uncomfortably, suddenly enormously aware of how close they were. The entire ordeal was totally lost on Holly; she brought her head forward again and her long, dark hair fell forward onto his hand.

She made no move to push it back. Now near the edge of the dance floor, he stopped their dancing and simply stood there. Still holding her hand in his, he removed the other from her shoulder and slowly pushed her hair back, once again revealing her neck. He allowed his fingers to brush against her soft skin and felt her skin break into gooseflesh underneath his touch. Not laughing anymore, she looked straight up at him.

 _This is no timid elleth,_ he thought to himself. Her hazel eyes bore into his as though trying to figure out just what he was playing at. Haldir himself had absolutely no idea. Her hand still in his, he led her over to a bench against the far, back wall. They walked past the table of wine and he quickly swiped another goblet. He would come to regret this in the morning, he knew.

He sat down silently beside her. He took a long sip of wine and enjoyed the music. The cup was lifted right from his hand and he looked over to see Holly taking a small sip before handing it back to him,

"You owe me." she said simply, pursing her lips. He nodded emphatically,

"That I do."

They sat there for a few more moments. It was not lost on Haldir that neither of his brothers nor Eruana had stopped to talk to them. In fact, they seemed to be avoiding he and Holly like some sort of pestilence. If Holly had noticed the same, she gave no indication. She swayed slightly side-to-side in her seat in time with the music. Her eyelids dropped low and she gave him a half-lidded smile. She began to hum a long with the music.

"You _do_ like to dance, I can tell." he said, observing the way she moved to the music. Holly sighed,

"Yes, I really do. Unfortunately, I think I got lucky with that one dance. I don't recognize the steps of any of these other dances."

Haldir looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, then emboldened by the wine, he stood up and dropped a hand in front of her, "I shall teach you. Come!"

Holly sat back against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. She shook her head at him rather violently, "No, no, no. I will not learn to dance from _you_ in front of _all_ of your wardens."

"Not all my wardens are here!" he exclaimed and shoved his hand closer to her face. She rolled her eyes,

"You are determined to embarrass me."

Haldir sighed, "No, I am not. I want to help you. You do not give me any credit. If you won't learn here, then come with me outside the clearing. There is no one there and I could show you some basic steps. When you feel confident, we can come back to the clearing and dance properly."

Holly narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. Haldir did his best to look sincere. She continued to scrutinize his face until she finally dropped her hand lightly into his. He flashed her a smug smile and he saw her nearly sit back down, but he held her hand tightly. She stood in front of him, grabbing the cup of wine before following him out of the clearing.

* * *

Holly had no idea what she was doing, and she was not referring to the dancing. She was not stupid – she could see that Haldir was a terrible flirt. She knew enough from Eruana to know that while the elves only ever married once, binding themselves to another for eternity, that did not stop them from having physical relationships. The idea that Haldir was metaphorically trying to get into her pants was entirely possible, and Holly was wary of this. Still, he was just... _so_ handsome. His intense eyes stared her down until her resolve was completely shattered and she gave into whatever thinly-veiled plot to seduce her he had concocted.

Yes, Holly was completely, entirely, one-hundred percent aware of what was happening.

And she did absolutely _nothing_ to stop it.

They exited Elenalcar and walked into the cool air outside the clearing. The light from the lanterns and the heat from the crowd kept the clearing warm and intoxicating. Out here, Holly felt much more aware and far less tipsy. Haldir pulled her gently into a large empty space, away from the footpath, but with enough distance between the nearby _mellyrn._ Holly was impressed and surprised – it seemed he really did want to dance.

He turned around and looked at her, holding his arms out, "Take my hands. I will show you a fairly simple dance, this is one everyone knows."

Holly steadied herself and placed her hands in his, keeping her frame straight as she had been taught by her mother years ago, sometime before Prom. Haldir eyed her stiff shoulders and straight back and dropped her hands, "No, you must loosen your stance. Much like when shooting an arrow – keep your frame loose, but controlled."

Holly raised an arched eyebrow at him, "I've never shot an arrow, you dolt."

In a fairly un-elf-like movement, Haldir scratched his head. "Hmm. It is no matter, we shall work on that later. Take my hands again, step closer, no need to keep your distance."

Holly looked at him ruefully, letting him know that she was aware that there was a need to keep her distance. He gave her yet another apologetic look – _he's getting better at those,_ she thought.

"Come, I will not try to ravage you here in plain view of half of my own wardens." he took her hands firmly, lacing his fingers with hers. Holly blushed hotly at the unexpected move. "It is how many of our dances begin," he explained.

Holly nodded and looked down at her feet, "Okay, so what's next?"

Haldir pulled one of his arms back and she let hers follow. As he did this his feet went backward, she followed his steps. He pulled her arm back and wound it around his shoulder so that they were now side-by-side. He twirled her in front of him, one of her hands still on his shoulder, the other now loose in front of her. He took it and they were now in a typical dancing position.

"That is how it begins, if you have a good partner, you should not wonder what to do next." he said, obviously implying that he was a good partner. Holly nodded, ignoring his statement. "Next, I will come closer. Most Elvish dances are close – at least, the Silvan ones are."

He pulled her closer to him and they were standing slightly off-set – his right leg ever-so-slightly between her own.

"In this dance, we sway, lifting one foot and then the other, while also turning in a small circle. It is a popular dance as it does not require much movement around the dance floor, allowing many couples to dance at once. It is useful in this type of setting."

They were very, very close. Haldir had not lied when he said that the elves were not as prudish as human. Granted, this was still tame compared to what she was used to, but it was not the stuffy, courtly dance she had expected. It was far more intimate than she had expected. Still, he moved slowly, mentioning each step before he did it, which rather detracted from the romanticism of the entire thing. She followed along, trying to ignore the feeling of his strong thigh between hers, or the taught cage his arms formed around her. She felt utterly enclosed, encapsulated, trapped in the very best way.

"I suppose the closeness helps me not to trip." she mumbled, staring intently at her feet.

"Do not stare at your feet. When shooting, do you stare at your hands or the -"

"I don't do archery!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. He grabbed her hands, replacing one on his shoulder.

"Yes, as you've mentioned." he replied, drawing her back into him. "Look at me or to the side, your feet will move as I move."

Not sure if she wanted to look directly at him, Holly looked to the side, to their clasped hands. His hand was large, and the skin of his fingers had very little softness, to her surprise. It made sense – Haldir was a warrior who spent much of his time climbing trees and fighting orcs, and evidently, shooting. She could still hear the music from Elenalcar from where they were, and the music was slow. She looked to the clearing and saw many couples on the dance floor, dancing in a very similar way to how her and Haldir were dancing now. She suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to pull him back into the clearing and dance with him in plain view. As if reading her mind, Haldir stopped his instruction,

"I fear the rest will come with practice. Would you like to return to the clearing?" he asked her, dropping her hands. Holly felt strangely disappointed.

"Uhm, no, not yet, I think." she lied. She walked over to a large _mallorn._ She had left her cup of wine there earlier. She lifted it to her lips and took a big gulp, nearly finishing the wine. Haldir followed her and snatched the goblet from her hand,

"You ought to slow down. Dorwinion wine is very strong." he said, taking a sip.

"Yes, you mentioned that." she said quietly. He was standing very close to her. She could feel the heat from his body, she could see the glitter of the starlight in his eyes as he briefly looked to the sky. He looked back down at her, his eyes scanning her face, searching hers.

Holly took a small step back but was stopped by the great, wide trunk of the _mallorn._ Not deterred by her movement, Haldir stepped forward. He touched the soft, gauzy fabric of her sleeve, letting it fall from between his index and middle fingers.

"This colour suits you. Your hair is so unlike our own. Our greys and whites would do you no justice." he said, his voice dropping low. Holly was spellbound by his face. She could not look away from him. His gaze felt heavy on her face, his eyes still scanning every inch of her, each feature, as though memorizing them.

His eyes finally met hers and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could utter a word, she was silenced by his lips. The kiss began slowly, and Holly could hardly move for surprise. His lips did not move against hers, not until her own involuntarily began to part. Sensing the permission in her reaction, he moved his own, deepening and opening the kiss. Without thinking, Holly brought her hand to his cheek, her fingers grazing his soft, silver hair. Holly stumbled forward, and he pushed her back softly against the tree. He steadied himself there with a carefully-placed hand beside her head. She could taste the wine on his tongue, soft in her mouth, skimming her lower lip. She allowed herself to suck gently on his in response, and she heard his breath hitch in his throat. The hand that was poised above her head flew to the back of her head, crushing her mouth into his. She couldn't stop the soft sigh that escaped her lips.

Suddenly, she felt...wet. No, not, in the pleasant sense, in the strange sense. She felt the cold wetness seep through her dress and down her leg. She froze and pushed Haldir back softly, looking down to the source of the interruption.

Down the side of her dress was a deep, dark, stain. A now empty cup of wine held haphazardly in Haldir's hand, dripping its final drops onto the pale purple gauze of Holly's new gown. Holly could not help the growl of frustration that developed back in her throat,

"Haldir!" she exclaimed, pushing him back forcefully. He stumbled backward and dropped the cup, catching up to recent events. "This dress was new! It's ruined!"

Rather than apologize, however, Haldir laughed a deep, hearty laugh. The laugh did not stop, but dissipated into snickers and wheezes as he doubled over. Holly pulled at the fabric attempting to see the extent of the damage. As quickly as her desire for him came, it was gone, and she stared at him in utter annoyance,

"Couldn't you have paid a little attention? How will I explain this to Ethiriel?" she demanded, her eyes aflame. Haldir stopped laughing finally, straightening himself,

"Well, you could always tell her that we were kis-"

Holly shrieked with rage, "Urgh! You're insufferable! You could at least apologize!"

Haldir took a step back, his brows furrowing. He obviously did not appreciate her tone, "I won't apologize! I did not throw wine at you intentionally."

"Of course you didn't, but you were careless. Why were you holding it to begin with?!" she demanded, rubbing at the fabric furiously.

Haldir threw his hands up in exasperation, "Drinking it, for Eru's sake! You were there!"

Holly rolled her eyes in the way that made him want to down an entire _cask_ of Dorwinion wine. How he _loathed_ that expression on her. "You could have put it down!"

"I was otherwise _occupied,_ if you recall!" he retorted, growing increasingly aggravated with her. Why did she have to be so obstinate about _everything?_

"Why must you argue with me about absolutely everything?" she spat, walking away from him. He followed her and attempted to grab onto her arm. She twisted away from him and he reached out further, grasping her wrist in his strong hand. She spun around to face him, but there was no tenderness there now.

"It is _you_ who turns everything into a disagreement! We were having a perfectly pleasant evening, then you go and throw this _tantrum_ over a little spilled wine!" he responded hotly, glaring down at her. She met his gaze with an equally cold one,

"I'm throwing a tantrum? I think that's pretty reasonable after you force me onto the dance floor in some deliberate attempt to embarrass me, then you ply me with wine and...and...and ravish me in the forest!" she countered. Haldir looked positively livid,

"Ai, Eru lend me strength!" he spat under his breath, "I already apologized for marking you dance, and if you recall you fetched your own wine, and _you_ followed me into the forest, _and you kissed me back!"_

"Oh, well, don't worry, there's no risk of THAT happening again!" she growled back at him. It was Haldir's turn to roll his eyes,

"As if I would attempt itagain! I'd sooner kiss a goblin!"

Holly froze in place, tears threatening to well up in her eyes. She was not sad, she was angry, and she couldn't help the hot, angry tears that were threatening to fall. She looked at the elf in front of her. His eyes were dark with anger and insult, his composure thoroughly rattled. Holly was in no better state, her own nails were digging into her palms and she feared that if he made her any angrier, she would draw blood.

"Urgh! You are the _worst!"_ she exclaimed to the skies. Holly turned on her heel and walked clear away from Elenalcar and back toward the city. She could hear Haldir following her,

"Holly! Holly, stop this." he said angrily, his long strides catching up with hers quickly. She turned away from him, not wanting him to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. Again, he made to grab her wrist, but she moved away,

"Would you leave me alone?" she asked, shooting him another glare. Seeing the tears on her face and the ire in her expression, he dropped his hand and stop walking.

"Fine." he said stiffly. Holly didn't look at him again before turning back toward the footpath and walking as quickly as she could back to her talan. Using the sleeve of her now ruined dress, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

* * *

Why, why, why did she have to ruin everything? Why couldn't she have just laughed it off and let it go? Why did he have to argue with her about everything! Why did he do his best to push _every single button_ she had?

Why had he kissed her? What was she to him, some new conquest? A shiny new toy in a city where everyone had known each other for a millenia? The thought made her even more furious and she threw open the door to her talan and slammed it shut behind her. She was angry with Haldir, yes, he was irritating, arrogant, cocky, and more, but she was also angry at herself for allowing herself to be so easily seduced by it all.

 _Too much wine,_ she thought more rationally.

She stripped off her dress and threw it into an angry pile at the foot of her bed. Not bothering to put on a nightgown, she crawled into bed in her under-dress and stared at the ceiling, anxiously analyzing every action, word, feeling of the night. Her brain was swimming with emotion. She recalled the feeling of Haldir's lips on hers – so natural, so gentle and wanting. As if they were meant to be there. Then she recalled his words, how he'd rather kiss a goblin, and she felt her heart race in a way that had nothing to do with the kiss and everything to do with the plethora of ways in which she'd like to skin the Marchwarden alive and fashion his hide into a cloak.

Sometime, when the dawn was beginning to break, she fell into a fitful sleep, praying she could get an hour or two of sleep in before she had to rise.

* * *

A/N: So that was a little more exciting than we've been used to. But you didn't think I would let it be all butterflies and wine and dances, did you. No, no, that wouldn't be Holly and Haldir's way. Nothing will come easily to them. Please review :) I really appreciate them and the encouragement makes me write faster :)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Holly had slept very poorly that night. Generally, while elves required less rest than humans, Holly had slept terribly even by elvish standards. She had tossed and turned all night, staring out the window, her eyes never able to glaze over. She had replayed the entire, terrible scene over and over again, wishing the whole thing had gone very differently.

She thought first about the kiss – it was slow and gentle, but had grown more passionate as she responded. She recalled the way his hands felt on her body, strong and soft, kneading her flesh in a way that left her craving his touch _everywhere_. She remembered the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips, the warmth of the back of his neck under her palm and the feeling of his strong chest pressed up against hers. She remembered their dance and the feeling of his thigh between hers and his arm wrapped casually around her waist, as though it belonged there. Yes, it had been a very good kiss.

Did she like Haldir? Was he just playing games with her, was she just something to toy with before he returned again to the borders? Truly, she had no idea. There had been real attraction there, yes, but had there been more than that? She honestly did not know. Her entire situation was so new to her that she had difficulty parsing her own feelings. Of course, she had had boyfriends and lovers in the past on Earth. Granted, not many, but enough dalliances to not be entirely inexperienced in the ways of men. However, Haldir was not a man. He was an elf, and she was not on Earth, she was in Middle-Earth. Who knew how drastically things differed here.

She thought about going to confront him, but the idea of seeing his face today made her cringe and hide in her pillow. No, she could not look him in the eye just yet. Perhaps tomorrow, after the embarrassment and anger had died down.

Truthfully, she was no longer angry with him. She realized, now, that his spilling the wine on her was obviously an accident, and while she had the right to be annoyed, she didn't necessarily have the right to be annoyed at _him._ So, while she could admit that she had maybe jumped the gun with her accusations, she could not take complete blame for the way things had turned out. He knew exactly what to say to push her buttons. He acted so defensively, shooting back at her with full-force, spitting out insults with paralleled vitriol. Maybe she had started it, but he had grabbed her by the hand and dragged her straight to the end, that was for sure.

With a groan and a sigh, Holly got up from her bed and grabbed her light-blue healer's gown and washing things. Her insomnia did have the helpful benefit of waking her up early enough so as not to be late for work with Nestarion. Somehow she didn't think the strict healer would accept 'too much wine, poor life choices and all-consuming anxiety' as a reason for tardiness. She pulled her hair out of the mussed-up braids she had slept in and brushed it out quickly before heading out the door.

As a healer, she got up rather early compared to other elves of Caras Galadhon. Healers worked in shifts to ensure that there was always someone present in the healing _telain_ in case of emergency. As Holly was still Nestarion's trainee, she followed his schedule until he deemed her skillful enough to work on her own (which she doubted would be any time soon. Ilwe, another trainee, had only recently been allowed to work her own shift, and she had trained under Nestarion for thirty-five years). Nestarion's schedule was dawn to mid-afternoon. Holly didn't mind this schedule, she was admittedly very much a morning-person.

Holly locked the door behind her and made her way down the steps of her _talan._ She was no longer staying in the guest _telain._ Lady Galadriel had given her a more suitable _talan_ not far from Eruana and Orophin's, about a ten-minute walk from the bathing springs and a five-minute walk from the centre of the city and the healing _telain._ Her new _talan_ was more appropriately appointed with several bookcases (slowly filling with books borrowed from Lord Celeborn's library, with his permission, of course), a wardrobe and a small kitchen in which she could prepare her own food. She normally made her own breakfast there, choosing to eat lunch in the healing _talan_ and supper in the dining hall with Eruana and some of her friends.

Holly approached the springs slowly, enjoying the calming effect the forest had on her. Somehow it seemed that no matter how she felt before, a walk in Lothlórien instilled peace in her heart and made all things seem trivial. She understood the calmness of the elves, their relaxed attitude. It was hard to feel anxiety when you considered the eternity of the forest and immortal life. Holly was still struggling with the concept of her own immortality, and while the other elves may feel comfort in the fact that 'no one will think of this in a thousand years', Holly was rather troubled with the idea that she, and Haldir, would be around in a thousand years to remember her foolish behaviour.

As she approached the bathing springs, she saw a familiar golden head bobbing in and out of the water. She smiled and waved to Eruana, who was also up early. As soon as the _elleth_ saw her, she practically leapt out of the water, completely naked. Holly turned her head but Eruana grabbed her by the shoulder and demanded in Sindarin,

"Holly! What happened last night? You must tell me."

Holly winced, she had hoped that she could broach the subject gingerly, but apparently not. " _Uhm, Haldir and I..._ " she did not know the elvish word for kiss, she realized, and switched to Common, "kissed?"

Eruana beamed at her, and clapped her hands together excitedly, _"Oh, excellent, I knew this would happen!"_ her face changed suddenly, showing signs of confusion, " _Then why did he look so cross when last I saw him?"_

Holly shifted uncomfortably, still terribly aware of her friend's unabashed nakedness, but aware that she would have to explain what had happened, "We had an argument."

Eruana looked crestfallen, "Argue? What of?"

"Well, he was kissing me, and then he spilled wine on my dress accidentally, and I sort of freaked out on him."

Eruana looked puzzled at her choice of words. Holly, clarified, "Uh, he spilled the wine on me and I got angry. Angry for nothing."

Eruana made a face of understanding. She, too, could have a temper, and though she loved Orophin, he could try her patience. Still, Holly and Haldir were not in love, and it was early days yet. It was crucial that neither of them let their blasted tempers ruin anything, "You can not apologize?"

Holly sighed, turning around and peeling off her dress to get into the springs, "We fought. We both said bad things."

 _"It cannot be as bad as that,"_ Eruana replied, also re-entering the water, _"Speak with him, he is quick to anger but quick to calm. He has probably forgotten it."_

Holly gave her friend a rueful smile, "He said he would sooner kiss an orc than me."

Eruana's eyebrows shot up, _"That is very unlike him."_

 _"I made him very angry, I said bad things, also."_ Holly admitted, lowering her gaze in shame. Eruana looked at her young friend with pity. Holly looked as old as she, and though she knew that she was over eight-hundred in Middle-Earth, she sometimes had to remind herself that her friend had only twenty-four years of experience under her belt. She was but an elfling by their own standards, though she knew this to be inaccurate. Holly had the maturity of an adult, and she knew that among mortals she was well past the age of majority. Still, she was innocent to the elven ways and Eruana was determined to help her young friend.

 _"Time will tell. My advice would be to speak to him and apologize. He is understanding, you will see."_

Holly scoffed at her comment, "That's doubtful. He wasn't exactly kind either, you know."

Holly lathered up her skin with the floral-scented soap she loved. She reminisced of when Haldir had complimented her on the scent and blushed, one thought leading to another, and the feeling of the warm water against her skin leaving her all kinds of uncomfortable. This did not go unnoticed by Eruana,

"Did you like it...his kiss?" she asked in Common, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Holly looked up at her and bit her lip,

 _"Yes. It was lovely."_ she responded with a sigh, letting her head fall into her hands, groaning loudly, _"And now he will never do it again."_

 _"You never know, despite his popularity among the ellyth of Lórien, Haldir has not shown interest in an elleth in over a hundred years, this is as surprising to me as it is to you."_

Holly was surprised to hear this. Haldir was so...flirtatious and confident, she thought he must be popular with the females of Lothlórien. She made this exact comment to Eruana who only laughed dryly, "Holly, I said 'a hundred years'. Haldir is several thousand years old, he has much experience."

"Well, he certainly seemed to know what he was doing." she answered with a smug smile. Talking about this with Eruana was making her feel better. She was coming to the realization that this was no different than some awkward romantic encounter back in her world, and she would soon put it behind her. Still, she was curious, _"I do not know how he feels."_

Eruana nodded slowly in understanding, _"I cannot tell you that, Holly. You must speak with Haldir."_

Holly nodded with a sigh. She knew Eruana was right. When she was finished with Nestarion, she would track down Haldir and apologize.

* * *

Haldir had not slept at all. How he wished he was far away, at the farthest outskirt of the farthest border of the farthest edge of Lothlórien. At first he thought he would rather be in Mordor, but then felt that was somewhat of an overreaction and opted to wish he was just _moderately_ far away.

He had returned to his _talan_ absolutely infuriated. She was so accusatory and contrary. To think, he had spent three weeks at the border thinking of her face and her dark hair, imagining how it would feel woven between his fingers. He had thought of her eyes, unusual as they were to him and his kind, and how they glinted when she smiled. When he had seen her at the healing _talan,_ he had made an unswerving line straight toward her station. When he had seen her at Elenalcar, he could think of nothing but dancing with her and more. She looked far too tempting in her pale lavender gown that so contrasted the whites, silvers and greens of the other _ellyth_ of Lórien.

Yes, and how wrong had he been. Holly may be beautiful, but she was quick-tempered and easily-provoked, like some sort of pretty, cornered woodland creature. While he couldn't deny that he had thoroughly enjoyed his evening with her, the way she danced with him, shyly confiding in him that she did not know the steps. He had enjoyed the kiss – uncertain at first, then growing into something heady and intoxicating. Her soft mouth against his, the way she boldly ran her hands through his hair, so unlike every other _elleth_ he had ever embraced.

What he had not enjoyed was the steely strike of her talons and the way she wildly flung accusations against him. He would have blamed it on the wine, but he was far too irritated by the entire situation to think rationally about Holly. Never had an _elleth_ so challenged him and he was not entirely sure that he had enjoyed it. How could she be so pleasant and then so caustic, so sweet and then so infuriating?

Still, he was ashamed of his own behaviour, as well. He had to admit that he had done nothing thus far to earn her trust. His harmless little trick at the springs, while amusing, hadn't helped his chances with her. Then of course, he has said that he would rather kiss an orc than go near her again. Haldir groaned at the thought of his own words, knowing full well that this was not the first time his temper and pride had gotten him into trouble. She would likely never speak to him again, he was utterly convinced.

It was on this pessimistic note that Haldir made his way to the archery fields for his morning practice. Perhaps he could vent his frustrations on the targets and pull his mind away from this troubling encounter. However, just as he arrived and began re-stringing his bow, one of his wardens came running toward him.

"Marchwarden! Marchwarden! I bring news from the northern border!" the elf announced, doubled over, breathing heavily. Haldir set his bow down and turned to address the elf,

"Yes, Rothion?" he asked, his heart quickening in anticipation of bad news. The elf looked up at him, his hands still on his thighs as he tried to regulate his breathing. Haldir was nervous, indeed. If this elf had run all the way from the northern border, he had been running for an entire day. Whatever he had to say, it was important.

"The northern border was attacked by _yrch._ It was only a skirmish but a warden, Erendir, has been wounded. They have taken him to the healing _telain._ He was shot by an orc arrow, close to his heart."

Haldir struggled to keep his face impassive, but he was inwardly distressed by this news. Wounded wardens were not rare, but for Erendir to have been rushed back to Caras Galadhon meant that this was no glancing arrow. The wound was serious and there was question as to whether or not the elf would live. "Thank you, Rothion. You are dismissed. You may return to the healing _talan_ and watch over Erendir. When he wakes, I wish to be informed."

Rothion nodded his head and put his hand over his heart. Haldir matched the warden's gesture and nodded back at him. Rothion took off running again, this time somewhat slower than before.

It was with a lot on his mind that Haldir practiced his archery that day.

* * *

Holly washed her hands in the basin by the door, wiping off the blood and excess salve that coated her fingers. Shortly before she was set to leave for the afternoon, an injured warden had been brought in from the border. He had been shot with a orc arrow, the arrowhead narrowly missing his heart. Luckily, by Nestarion's gifted hands, the elf had been saved. Holly had been tasked cleaning the stitched-up wound and applying the healing salve before securing the poultice in place with a thick bandage. The elf, whose name she did not know, was now sleeping, eyes closed, in a bed nearby. Holly had been shocked by his peacefully deep sleep, but Nestarion explained that while the elves did not normally sleep with closed eyes, it did occur when an elf had undergone serious trauma and deep rest was required. He said it was nothing to be alarmed about, but it was evidence of the ordeal the poor elf had been through. Holly felt tremendously aware of the sacrifice the wardens gifted them.

Nestarion had left a few moments earlier, trusting Holly to wait there until she was relieved by the next healer, Ilwe. Holly finished cleaning her hands and went to check on the wounded warden again before taking a seat on the bench by the door. She let her head fall back on the wall behind her and took a deep breath. The day had been trying and she desperately needed rest, but she enjoyed the profound satisfaction of seeing her charge, laying peacefully on the cot, still alive. She hoped to be as skilled at Nestarion some day, to be able to save the lives of those who fought to protect them all.

She thought of Haldir, who led these brave elves. She wondered how, with his terrible temper, he managed to command so many. Still, despite her own impression of him, she could not deny the respect with which his wardens spoke of him. He did not command their respect- no, it was clear that he had earned it over many years.

Ilwe appeared in the doorway then, to take the evening shift. Holly greeted her and explained the situation with the warden on the nearby bed. Ilwe nodded in understanding and bid her a good evening. Holly was starved, not having had time to pause for lunch in the flutter of activity of the afternoon. She made her way to the dining hall, un-braiding and re-braiding her hair as she walked, combing out the tangled tresses. They had gotten messy and unkempt during the activity of the day, and if she was to confront Haldir, she would look as confident as she could. She would tidy herself, get some sustenance from the dining hall, and then seek him out so that they may put this whole mess behind them. If he was not at his talan, she would check the archery fields, and then the training grounds. It was with her natural, headstrong determination that Holly strode into the dim light of the hall.

Yet, it was with no surprise whatsoever that she saw Haldir sitting at the far end of the dining hall with Orophin, Rúmil and Eruana. She was briefly annoyed and then reminded herself that this was, in fact, _his_ family, and she was the intruder here. She thought about turning around and eating in her talan, but reminded herself that she was no longer some nervous teenager, and that Haldir was thousands of years old. If they couldn't handle a little awkwardness then things really were beyond repair. Thinking that at least she was spared all that walking around the city pathetically searching for him, she plopped herself down unceremoniously beside Rúmil, who sat across from Haldir.

 _"Good evening."_ she greeted them in Sindarin, quickly averting her gaze from Haldir, who eyed her curiously. She began filling her plate, _"The nut breads look good."_

Eruana, Orophin and Rúmil greeted her brightly, asking about her day. Haldir muttered a quiet 'good evening' back at her and Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Somehow she knew he hated when she did that.

"There was a wounded elf brought in from the borders today. Nestarion did a marvelous job patching him up, though. He will be fine, after some recovery." she offered, opening up the conversation. Orophin nodded as though he already knew, but Rúmil, who had been walking in the forest that day, quite a ways away from the city, looked shocked,

 _"Who was it?"_ he asked, turning toward Holly eagerly. It was not Holly, who answered, however,

 _"It was Erendir."_ Haldir said, popping another piece of apple into his mouth. Holly only nodded, also picking at her food. She felt bad for the elf, and now that she knew his name, she felt worse. She tried to think of something to say but found that she could not. She shoved some greens around before dropping her fork onto her plate with an accidental clatter. All eyes looked over to her and she opened and closer her mouth for a moment, thinking of something useful to say.

"Sorry, I was just thinking that...that I felt very indebted to that elf today. I did not know his name, he was unconscious when they brought him in." she said simply, casting her eyes down to her plate. "But he will get better, Nestarion says. It will take time, but he will."

It was Orophin who broke the silence, "That is a touching thought, Holly. I am sure Erendir would appreciate you thinking so. Nestarion is the best healer in Lórien, and if he says Erendir will be fine, then he shall."

Holly looked up and smiled thankfully at Orophin, and his wife patted him softly on the hand. Holly briefly looked to Haldir who was studying the contents of his plate with intent. He was either avoiding her gaze, she thought, or avoiding the gaze of all at the table. There was something about his demeanor that did not seem awkward or phased by the previous nights' events to her, and she got the feeling that there was something else he was upset about. Holly contemplated this in silence as the others chatted away in Sindarin. Holly caught only a few words here and there, not yet able to keep up with the speed at which they spoke. She finished her food and noted that Haldir, too, was finished. He had not yet gotten up, she also noticed.

 _No better time than now, I suppose._ She thought to herself, placing her utensils on her plate neatly and taking a rather large swig of wine. Hair of the dog, and all that. Holly cleared her throat quietly, trying to find her voice,

"Haldir, do you think I could speak with you for a moment?" she asked, bringing her eyes to his briefly. He met her gaze after being addressed directly and nodded, saying nothing. Holly got up from the table and she looked at Eruana, who gave her a small smile of encouragement. She set her dishes upon the counter at the far end of the hall, near the door. She did not look behind her to see if Haldir was following, but she knew he was.

Holly walked out of the hall and ducked to the side and down a little path that ran along the side of the building. They would be out of the way there and out of ear shot. She turned around and face him. He stood there, hands behind his back, his face utterly expressionless. He looked at her as though waiting for her to speak first. She cleared her throat again and leveled her eyes with his before speaking in a surprisingly clear and deceptively confident voice,

"Haldir I wanted to apologise." she began, "I am sorry for speaking rashly, I didn't mean to accuse you of spilling wine on me, and I'm sorry for arguing with you."

Haldir considered her apology for a moment, then also spoke, "Yes, I apologise for my words and for my actions, as well. They were uncalled for."

Holly could not help but notice his stiff behaviour and sighed, "Haldir, I am serious. I want us to be friends. I do not want any awkwardness between us. I enjoy...talking to you and being with you."

Haldir seemed to visibly soften at this statement and took a cautious step forward, "I would like for us to be friends, as well. My brothers are always blaming my damnable temper, and with all the wine and...well it was easy to get carried away."

Holly felt suddenly very unsure as to what exactly they were talking about. She rubbed the back of her neck in what felt like a very human gesture as she debated whether or not to ask the following question, "Do you feel like you got carried away?"

He stiffened a little but recovered quickly, shrugging slightly, "Perhaps. It is hard to say. I should not have insulted you or yelled at you, and it was inappropriate to become...physical with you in that moment."

She nodded slowly in understanding. So he _did_ regret kissing her, then. He had had a lot to drink and made a mistake. Disappointed as she was, this was something she could understand. It would not have been the first time someone had made an error in judgment after quite a lot of alcohol. Still, he had apologised for his words and that was more than she could ask for. She had started the argument, after all. She thought about asking him to clarify his feelings, but felt that this was a little too much, too soon. Besides, she was not sure that she was prepared for the answer, either way.

"I...um, yes, well I played my own part in that, too." she said awkwardly, kicking at a pebble on the footpath. She heard Haldir laugh lightly and looked up at him, he was smiling down at her,

"Yes, well, I can be quite seductive when I want to be." he said with a wink. _Damn!_ Now she was just as confused as before. What was that about? So he _was_ trying to seduce her? _Urgh!_ She would never figure this out. However, she was in no position to go about asking him about it now.

"Oh, stop it. Don't you think we've gotten ourselves in enough trouble for one day?" she asked, hitting him lightly on the shoulder, hiding her confusion. He feigned pain and rubbed his arm, wincing dramatically. Holly enjoyed the exchange and was happy to see the return of their easy banter. The tension seemed to have palpably dissipated, despite the still unanswered questions between them.

Holly felt, in her heart, that these would be answered in time. What she needed right now was not love or complicated romance, but a friend. It seemed as though Haldir could become just that, if she would let him.

"Probably true. Perhaps we should take a little break from the dramas of the day. I was about to head to the training grounds, I promise Rúmil a spar. Would you like to join us? He is probably waiting for me." he asked, gesturing behind him and holding out his arm.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was keeping you." she stammered apologetically. He stopped her,

"No, not at all. I did not give him a specific time, I only told him after dinner. I am happy we got a chance to speak. I feared that we had perhaps done some damage last night." he said ruefully. "I always say I shall never drink again and yet...well, you know."

Holly laughed brightly at him, feeling very much the same way. "Yes, I seem to remember thinking something very similar on far too many occasions." she said, still laughing. He smiled charmingly at her and proffered his arm again. She took it this time, and they walked off toward the training grounds. As they walk, they spoke of little things, such as the training itself and what types of training Haldir engaged in. They spoke of Holly's work, and of Erendir. Holly could see the sincere concern for the wounded elf on Haldir's face. She got the distinct impression that he felt each of their wounds and bore the responsibility on his own shoulders, however burdensome. He spoke sadly of the elf,

"Erendir is a new warden. It is common for the less experienced wardens to become moderately to severely wounded in the first years of their service, but I always hope it is never as serious as this." he said darkly, a shadow cast upon his normally bright eyes. Holly patted his arm soothingly,

"You must not feel responsible, Haldir. It is as you said, the wardens have a dangerous job. Erendir knew that he would become wounded at some point. Besides, you were not there to protect him." she responded, trying to assuage him. He looked at her with a sad smile,

"Yes, I know. Still, it is my job as Marchwarden to ensure the safety of the elves under my command, as well as to protect the Golden Wood." he said, almost proudly. His face fell again, "but when one of my own is wounded so, I fear I feel a small sense of failure."

"I can understand that. Still, you should see the way your wardens speak of you. I was not kidding around when I said they speak highly of you. Never have I heard such words of admiration, of respect. You are revered in their eyes, Haldir."

He stopped walking for a moment and turned to face her. His eyes were serious and warm as he looked down at her. He did not speak for a moment, but then took her hand in both of his, holding it there for a moment, "Thank you, Holly. Somehow that is just what I needed to hear at the moment."

Holly smiled at him and put her own hand over his before letting her hands drop, "It's nothing. If we are to be friends then we must find nice things to say about each other."

Haldir took her arm again and continued guiding her toward the training grounds, "An excellent point! Perhaps one day I shall discover something about you worth complimenting you over."

"Urgh! Haldir, you are the worst!" she said, but laughing this time.

"Yes, you've mentioned that." he answered dryly.

* * *

A/N: well, it seems that all is well again. Sort of. :) Still some mixed up emotions there, but they seem to have found a small sense of ease. Let's see how long that lasts! Please review :) Negative or positive, I take it all. Tell me what you think, what you like, what you dislike, anything! Go go go!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"You must use your fëa, Holly. Allow your fëa to reach his and heal him." Nestarion instructed, holding Holly's hand over Rothion's wound. Holly squeezed her eyes shut in concentration, pushing her fëa out as far as she should, but to no avail.

"I can't do it. I can't stretch it...it's resisting me." she muttered tightly, brows furrowed. Nestarion smiled indulgently at his apprentice,

"No, Holly. You would not be able to. Though I feel that your fëa is strong, you are new to the Eldar and have not yet enough experience to manipulate it. No, I simply wished for you to learn how to feel and listen to your own fëa. It is in this way that elves' healing magic is utilised."

Holly allowed her brow to relax. She could feel her fëa, her soul, inside of her. It was like a light, an essence of being that she could not explain. Nestarion had spent the last week showing her how the elves used their own souls to heal the souls of others. Nestarion had used his fëa to heal Rothion, and though it would take her many years to learn how to manipulate her own fëa to heal others, it had been instructive to understand how it was done.

"I wish I could heal others as you do, Nestarion." she said, now relaxed. Rothion slept silently as they worked over him. He was resting now, but he had been healing nicely. In a day or two he would be back on his feet, and in a couple of weeks he would surely return to the border.

Nestarion patted Holly's hand softly, "You will, Holly. I said your fëa is strong and I meant it. Perhaps it is the Valar's touch on your existence, but your fëa will be capable of many things."

"Things other than healing?"

"Yes, it is our fëa that give us strength. Our lives are granted to us by Illuvatar through our fëa and our hröa, our soul and our body. One cannot exist without the other, but in the elves, our fëa is eternal. Your fëa is strong, you will one day be capable of great healing, if that is your wish. But you must practice." he responded, cleaning up his tools and bandages as he spoke. Holly assisted him,

"I want to do that – to heal with my fëa." she said, "I love to work with plants and poultices and stitches and bandages, but these are limited in what they can do. Your magic is amazing to me."

Nestarion stopped his work and smiled down at her, "Thank you, child. Alas, my skills pale in comparison to those of others. The Lady Galadriel herself is a great healer, for one. And that is to say nothing of the Lord Elrond, who is famed for his skills in healing."

"Who is Elrond?" Holly asked, feeling ignorant. There was so much she had left to learn about Middle Earth and the elves, let alone the other people of Arda.

"He is the Lord of Imladris and son-in-law to the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. His wife is the Lady Celebrian, who resides with him in Imladris. He is a healer of great renown, as well as a formidable warrior and loremaster.", he added with a wink, A wonderful example of how one may use a strong fëa for many great deeds."

"I feel I have so much left to learn." she said simply, with a shake of her head.

Nestarion chuckled, "You forget, child, that you are Eldar now. You have many years to hone your skills. It was not in a mortal lifetime that I learned to heal the way I do."

Holly sighed, "That's true. I admit I have a lot of trouble wrapping my head around the idea that I will live forever. But you're right, it leaves me a lot of time to learn, and I do love to learn."

"Perhaps, one day, when you are more practised in the basic healing arts, you may travel to Imladris and learn from the Lord Elrond himself. You are doing very well so far, better than I had expected." he said, as though it was rather hard to admit.

Holly smiled up at him, "But why would I go all the way to Imladris when I have a great healer here, surely there is much you can teach me?"

Nestarion's face grew serious, "Flattery will get you nowhere in my healing houses, Holly. Now wash those vials and change Rothion's bandage. Then you may go."

Holly snickered quietly as she busied herself with cleaning the vials. Nestarion was such a serious elf at times, and so kind and indulgent at other times. He was very changeable. Despite what he said, she knew he had appreciated her compliment. Indeed, she truly felt that she was learning a lot from him. She knew why he was impressed, and it was not to Holly's credit, specifically. Holly had the benefit of modern understandings of illness and wounds, knowledge that was common in her world but less so in Middle-Earth. It was not that this information was unknown to them so much as it was solely the occupation of healers, not of the common elf. Holly had impressed Nestarion on several occasions with her understanding of anatomy and sickness. Still, the elves lived and grew very differently, and they had deep magic that Holly had not yet fully understood. She looked forward to a time when she, too, could manipulate her fëa to help others.

Nestarion bid her a good afternoon and left Holly to finish her tasks. The day had been uneventful, but it was these days that Holly appreciated the most. It was on these days that she absorbed the knowledge that Nestarion bestowed upon her like a sponge. She had learned a lot this day, and felt that great progress had been made. She finished the vials and went quickly to change Rothion's bandage before leaving. The elf was still sound asleep, though his eyes had been open for some days now, much to Holly's relief. Things would likely be quiet in the healing _telain_ for another week or so, Nestarion had said. Then, the patrol shifts would alternate again and they would be very busy for some days.

Holly removed her apron and hung it on the hook by the door and waited again for Ilwe to arrive. It was only moments before she did – Ilwe was always perfectly on time. She greeted the elleth with a smile,

 _"_ _Good afternoon, Ilwe."_ she said in Sindarin. She wished she could converse more with the other elleth, but she still struggled with her elvish, _"_ _I change Rothion's bandages. All is quiet."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Holly."_ Ilwe responded with a smile. She had also been helping Holly learn Sindarin. On several evenings, Holly had remained behind after her shift and practiced her professional vocabulary with Ilwe, to better help her communicate with her patients.

She bid Ilwe goodbye and set off toward her talan. She now had the following two days off, as per Nestarion's schedule. She was looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation and idle chit chat with Eruana, perhaps practicing her Sindarin or learning more about the history of Middle Earth from Lord Celeborn's library. Indeed, as she walked to her talan she devised a wonderfully relaxing plan of changing out of her healer's robes, going to dinner, then returning to her talan to continue _The Fall of Gil-Galad_ in peace _._

Holly arrived at her talan and kicked off her boots in exchange for the simple grey slippers she usually favoured in the evenings. She changed out of her blue robes and into one of the simple dresses Ethiriel had designed for her. Above all else, she enjoyed these dresses most of all. She wished she could more often get away with wearing tunics and breeches, but it really was uncommon for the _ellyth_ of Lórien to wear them outside of travel and training.

When Holly arrived, later that evening, to the dining hall, she found it devoid of any of her friends. There were elves she recognized and had been introduced to, but Rúmil, Orophin, Eruana and Haldir were nowhere to be found. Orophin and Eruana she knew to be dining in their talan tonight (they often had dinner a lone, little dates of sorts), and Rúmil was likely still training at the archery field. She did not know where Haldir was, but this did not surprise her. He was often out and about tending to his many responsibilities as Marchwarden of Lothlórien. Thinking of her lovely evening in, she was glad there was no one around to persuade her to do otherwise. Holly grabbed a plate and began filling it, enjoying the melodic chatter of the other elves in hall.

She was broken from her reverie by a sudden presence in front of her. She looked up and saw Haldir smiling down at her. She smiled back, mouth close, as it was still negotiating a challenging piece of bread. She gestured at the seat in front of her and Haldir plopped himself down unceremoniously. He reached across to her plate and snatched a small berry off her dish and popped it in his mouth with a sheepish smile. Holly swallowed,

"Would you like for me to make you a plate, Marchwarden?" she asked with a teasing smile. He chuckled,

"No, I have already eaten, thank you. Everything simply tastes better when stolen." he replied, then leaned back in his chair, watching her eat.

They had settled into an easy friendship since their talk. Haldir was still a terrible flirt, and though Holly could not help by rise to it at times, she founds herself enjoying their time together. Still, he kept her at a respectful distance. Holly was not entirely sure she was happy about this, but recognised that there was simply too much new stimuli in her life as it is, without adding a confusing romance to the mix. She was satisfied, therefore, to remaining Haldir's friend, and she very much thought that he felt the same.

"I am not actually here to steal your food, Holly." he stated simply, as she cleaned the final crumbs from her plate with a piece of bread. He was always amused by the way this _elleth_ ate. She ate with the ferocity and hunger of a human, of one who craved. It was a feeling he was unfamiliar with, having never felt governed by such base needs in his long life. Holly, though, was different, and seemed to carry many old, mortal habits into her new life.

"Oh no? I thought you were here to enjoy the spectacle that is my evening meal. I know you all make fun of my eating habits. My Sindarin is improving, you know." she said, glancing at him from the side as she rose to dispose of her plate. Haldir followed her up,

"No, no, as amusing as it is to watch you eat I wanted to ask you something." he said mysteriously, following her out of the dining hall.

"Ask away, then!" she replied cheerily, feeling much more energetic after a good meal.

"I would like to know if you'd like to accompany me to Cerin Amroth. If you're up for a little walk." he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. _Ah, a challenge?_ She thought.

"What is Cerin Amroth?" she asked, curiously.

"Well, I was going to tell you the entire story on our walk, but in essence, it is an overlook in the forest that offers wonderful views of the Golden Wood. It is an ancient place, made by Amroth, one of the ancient kings of Lórien." he answered as they walked. He was not sure where they were going exactly, but Holly seemed to walk with purpose and so he followed her. "His tale is a sad one, but important to our people."

Holly appreciated his offer. She longed to explore the paths of the Golden Wood, but was afraid to go alone and get lost. "That sounds very nice, Haldir. When would you like to go?"

"If you are free, I know Nestarion is not occupied at the healing _telain_ tomorrow?" he offered. Holly nodded, "Besides, it is about time I do my duty by Galadriel. I was meant to introduce you to our realm, but I fear I have failed in this regard thus far."

Holly laughed, "Depends, do you consider subjecting me to your obnoxious ways introducing me to Lothlórien?"

It was Haldir's turn to roll his eyes, "Well, an introduction to Lórien must also include an introduction to its people," he said, and then puffed out his chest exaggeratedly, "Of which I am of the highest import."

Holly laughed heartily at this, reaching high up to pat him lightly on his silver head, "Oh, yes. The very highest."

Haldir feigned insult and hung his head low. He then peered over at her with pleading eyes, "So, Holly, will you accompany me or not?"

"Oh, don't give me those puppy dog eyes!" she exclaimed, swatting at him. He dodged her deftly and stopped in front of her,

"I assure you, it is one of the most beautiful places in all of Arda." he said, seriously. He looked her in the eyes and she could see that he truly wanted her to say yes. She smiled a small smile at him,

"Of course, I would be happy to. When would you like to leave?" she asked, also stopping, having now reached their destination.

They were standing in front of her the steps to her _talan._ Haldir looked around him, realising where they were, "We will leave at dawn. I will come fetch you here, from your _talan._ My own is not far. Wear sturdy clothes, I will provide the rest."

Holly nodded and bowed her head at him in the elvish fashion, "Perfect. Dawn it is!"

Haldir smiled at her again, his eyes sparkling with merriment, "Until then, Holly."

"Until then," she responded, before turning to climb the steps to her _talan._

* * *

Holly looked over her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was half pulled up in the braids favoured by the _ellyth_ when travelling and in need of more practical hairstyle. Her eyes were clear and excited; she had slept well in preparation for their excursion. She wore breeches of soft brown-grey doeskin, a dark grey tunic, and her green cloak hung by the door. She opted for the soft leather boots she had worn upon her arrival to Lothlórien. There was something both comforting and entirely foreign about the boots. They were a worn, alien relic of a past life, one she could still remember but that seemed so far away and impossible. She looked at the stamp on the sole, the black number eight that represented her shoe size. Such things as shoe sizes and country of origin markings seemed ridiculous and overcomplicated to her now.

She attached a small pouch of healing herbs and slave to her beautifully-tooled leather belt, which rested on her hips tightly, keeping her tunic down. Haldir had told her not to pack much, he would provide most of their provisions. Holly wasn't exactly sure how long they were meant to be gone, but assumed the trip would not take more than a day. At any rate, had she needed a change of clothes, he would have likely told her. She packed, therefore, only her healing supplies, in case of emergency, and a small waterskin, which she filled at her basin of clean, cool water before closing the clasp of her cloak around her shoulders.

Holly watered her growing collection of plants, whispering quiet words of goodbye to the _elanor_ and _niphredil,_ gifts from the Lady Galadriel. She exited her _talan_ and locked the door behind her. Haldir had not yet arrived, but he had been insistent that she not be late and be ready for dawn, and that she was. She sat on the top step of the staircase and awaited him, watching as the first rays of light streamed through the gaps in the treetops, casting a pale morning glow on the soft, green ground below. The great leaves of the _mellyrn_ seemed to sparkle and glow as the light reflected off the drops of morning dew that clung there. Holly closed her eyes and took in the fresh morning air with a deep breath, listening to the scurrying sounds of woodland creatures and approaching footsteps.

* * *

As Haldir came upon Holly's _talan,_ he could already see her waiting outside. She was seated atop the staircase, her long dark hair pulled back from her face. Her eyes were closed in silent reverie and Haldir enjoyed the look of peace and tranquility that graced her usually animated features. _She may have been born mortal,_ he thought, _but she looks every bit the elleth she is now._ He recognized her reverential expression, for he, too, often found himself wrapped up in the smells and sounds of the Golden Wood – it had a mesmerizing effect on all who dwelt there.

Haldir trod more heavily on the forest floor as he approached, attempting to notify Holly of his presence without breaking her roughly from her peace by surprising her. As he walked up to her, her eyes opened slowly and she smiled at him,

"Good morning, Haldir!" she said happily, getting up from her seat. She dusted off the backs of her legs and walked down the staircase. Haldir returned her smile,

"It is a very good morning! Are you ready for your grand tour of the woods? I see you have dressed appropriately," he said, eyeing her outfit up and down in a approval. Holly nodded,

"Yes, well I am no stranger to long hikes. It was one of my favourite past times back home."

Haldir nodded, "Well, then you should find this entirely enjoyable, despite my company, for there are no finer woods in all of Arda."

Holly mock-frowned at his self-deprecation, "I am looking forward to a day in your company."

Haldir smiled involuntarily. In truth, he had been nervous to ask her to accompany him on this trip. While the events of their evening at Elenalcar had been resolved and a friendship kindled, he had recently sensed a distance in her countenance, as though she had been acting cautiously around him. He could understand why; what had transpired between them, though relatively innocent and ending in naught but wounded pride, had complicated her recently upset life. Surely she had enough to think about without having to worry about unrequited attraction or the awkwardness of budding romance. He had resolved, therefore, to pursue nothing but friendship for the time being.

His own feelings confused him- he had never been particularly skilled in that regard. There was certainly attraction there – Holly was beautiful to him and so very different from the simpering ladies of Caras Galadhon he was used to. Her spirit had fire and challenged him, and he found this terribly attractive. However, he did not know her. They had not spent more than a few days together since their meeting, and though he was now trying to count her amongst his friends, he had to admit to himself that he had invited her to Cerin Amroth in an effort to get to know this strange _elleth_ better. Time would tell what would come of it, and time was something he knew they had in abundance. Therefore, despite his initial anxiety over their trip, he was glad she had agreed and reciprocated her feelings. He, too, was looking forward to a day in Holly's company.

* * *

They walked largely in companionable silence, only pausing for Haldir to explain some nuance of the forest or to point out some landmark or point of interest. They had exited through the main gates to the south, and circled up toward Lorien's northern border. They had been walking for a couple of hours when they came upon a small stream. Haldir stopped there,

"We may stop here, if you wish. We are approximately halfway to Cerin Amroth, we should reach the hill well before nightfall." he said, sitting on a boulder by the water's edge. Holly eyed the scene curiously and then her eyes lit up,

"This is where I bandaged your arm!" she exclaimed happily, recognizing their location. Haldir smiled up at her indulgently,

"Yes. We are not far from where I found you." he said, subconsciously touching the spot on his arm where her hands had so deftly treated his wounds. Holly looked wistfully into the distance at those words,

"It's so strange, Haldir, to think of how different my life has become." she said softly, sitting down on the forest floor and stretching out her legs in front of her. Haldir sat almost directly in front of her on the boulder, one of his legs stretched out as well as he opened the small bag he had brought with him. He looked at her curiously,

"Was your world very different from Middle-Earth?" he asked. He knew she had spoken of it in detail to Eruana, but he had no desire to pry behind her back, preferring to wait until Holly offered the information herself. Holly nodded solemnly,

"I can't think of a place more different from Lothlórien." she responded, letting her head hang forward. She was not sure if she missed it or if she just missed her family. Haldir offered her an apple and she took it,

"Would you tell me of it?" he asked slowly, "That is, if it does not pain you to do so."

Holly smiled sadly at him, "I miss my family, Haldir, but that is all. I miss Heather and Jarred, and their children. I loved them like they were my own. But I don't miss our world. There was a lot of beauty there but it was often hidden and hard to find. Our world was torn to pieces by politics and war and disregard for the Earth. Our world is governed by machines and devices that I could not begin to explain to you. We have a wonderful wealth of knowledge, however. Somehow that never stopped us from doing terrible things to each other, though." she said, before taking a bite of her apple and chewing thoughtfully. "Things are much simpler here, I love that about Lothlórien."

"If only all of Arda was as peaceful as the Golden Wood," Haldir agreed, "But we have war and strife here, too, Holly. Though you have not seen it. There is great evil in Middle-Earth, and there is also great beauty. I think in that way our worlds are similar."

"Still, at the risk of turning this into a my-horse-is-bigger-than-your-horse situation, there are devices in my world that could level Lothlórien in seconds. There is great poverty, great disease and a dying Earth. I am very happy to be here, though I know that Middle-Earth is not perfect. I know the histories of the First Age, I know of Morgoth and his servant Sauron and the wars of the Second Age. I am not ignorant of these things, but still, I choose to remain here."

Haldir chuckled at her analogy but nodded grimly at her description of her world, "Well, there are many who are glad of your coming. Eruana, in particular, counts you among one of her greatest friends."

Holly smiled, "Yes, Eruana is wonderful. How on earth did Orophin land that one?" she asked teasingly. Haldir laughed heartily,

"That is something Rúmil and I have been wondering for what seems like an age. She compliments him well, her easy nature suits him. Orophin can be difficult at times. Actually, Rúmil is the easiest of the three of us, and the youngest."

Holly bit the inside of her cheek and smiled mischievously at him, "Imagine that...Haldir admits that he is difficult."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I said no such thing. I simply said Rúmil is the most easy-going of the three of us. Orophin is changeable. I am... well, I do not know exactly how I am but my brothers and I are very different. They are so young."

"You are the oldest? How much older than them are you?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. She knew Haldir was very old (actually, all the elves seemed old to her).

"I was born in the year three-hundred and thirty-four of the Third Age." he responded, "Orophin was born in the year one-thousand-fourteen, and Rúmil shortly after, in one-thousand-forty-two. So, I am nearly seven hundred years older than they."

Holly nearly choked on her apple. This did not go unnoticed by Haldir who chuckled lightly before taking another bite, "So that would make you...two-thousand, three-hundred and sixty-seven years old."

Haldir seemed to consider the number for a moment before frowning slightly but nodding, "Yes, that would be right. Does this surprise you?"

Holly laughed loudly, "Yes, yes it does. As someone who until recently had far-away dreams of living until the ancient age of one-hundred, yes, that does seem old."

"Yes, but you yourself are over eight-hundred in Middle-Earth. The Lady Galadriel said herself that time moved differently in your world." he responded, burying the core of his apple in the ground and stepping off of the boulder and seating himself down beside her. Holly curled her legs underneath herself and leaned back on her hands.

"I don't feel eight-hundred." she admitted, frowning. Haldir laughed,

"And do you think I feel as though I am over two-thousand?" he asked with a smile, "No, we simply _are_."

Holly felt strangely comforted by this thought. She supposed that amongst the elves, age carried little meaning. There were those, among the wise, such as Galadriel and Celeborn and the Lord Elrond, whose age lent them wisdom and knowledge, but to those normal elves of the Galadhrim, this was of little import. "So you helped raise your brothers, then?" she asked. Haldir nodded and began to fidget idly with a leaf that had fallen to the ground. Holly wondered if perhaps she had made him uncomfortable, "Sorry, I don't mean to pry."

Haldir looked sidelong at her and gave her a reassuring smile, "No, you did not. Yes, I did. My parents sailed to the undying lands shortly after Rúmil reached maturity. They were of age when our parents left, but young and very inexperienced."

"I think that is how Heather felt about me," Holly replied with a laugh, "She always had her life together and I was always stuck in a day-dream, looking for purpose."

"Perhaps that is why you were sent back, to find your purpose." Haldir answered, thinking back on the words of the Lady Galadriel. Not often were the Valar's actions needless. Holly met his eyes and smiled at him,

"I hope so. I certainly feel useful here. Heather would be proud of me, I think."

"And what of your parents? Your adoptive parents, I mean." Haldir asked, sensing an opening to ask of her family. She had shared little apart from some small details about her sister.

"Well, they passed away a few years ago, but you could never have found kinder people. They took Heather and I in without question. And, of course, I know nothing of my birth parents other than what Lady Galadriel told me when I first arrived. My father passed away first, his name was Rowan. A few years later, my mother passed, Laurel, as well. I think she was broken-hearted over my father's death and never really recovered from the loss. I think she gave up on a life without him." Holly answered sadly, "When she got sick, she just didn't really fight it. "

Haldir let his hand rest softly over hers briefly, curling his fingers around hers in a comforting gesture. "This is common amongst the elves, as well. Elves marry only once, and they marry for eternity. It is not uncommon for one to fade and pass when a mate is lost forever."

"I don't know if that is terribly depressing or terribly romantic," Holly said with a mirthless laugh. Haldir smiled dryly,

"Both, I suppose." he said, "I cannot fathom the feeling for I have never married, but Orophin has told me that the joining of the fëa is so tangible, that the loss of one's mate would sunder your own fëa beyond repair."

"That makes me sad." Holly said simply. She looked over to him and he seemed deep in thought, but answered after a moment,

"Yes, it saddens me, as well. But, the joys of binding with another are unmatched, they say. To give your fëa to another and to receive theirs in return is the greatest gift given to the Eldar by the Valar, greater even than our immortality."

A silence came over both of them then. Suddenly Haldir jumped to his feet and held his hand out for Holly to taken, "Come, we should continue or we shall not reach Cerin Amroth before dark. Enough of this talk, we are not yet done with our adventure!"

Holly smiled and took his hand happily, the melancholy moment dissipating before her like a grey mist clearing. The sun was shining and the forest was beautiful. She stretched her legs and followed Haldir away from the stream and further into the Golden Wood.

* * *

A/N: there, a little insight into Haldir's mind and some bonding moments there. Please review if you are enjoying this. If you have any constructive criticism, please share that as well :) It is always appreciated. I hope you enjoyed!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Just a little ways further, Holly." Haldir said encouragingly, looking back at her. Holly stopped dead in her tracks and glared up at him,

"You _keep_ saying that but it's _never true!"_ She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exhaustion. "I'm starting to question your honour, Marchwarden."

She said it with a wink and he knew she was jesting. He rolled his eyes at her, "Your mortal upbringing has failed you, _mellon nin."_ he replied with a smirk, "This hill should be easy for one of the Eldar."

If possible, Holly's glare grew sharper, "You said this would be a little hike, a nice walk, to a nice hill. You did NOT say this would be a exhausting trek, a grueling journey, to a MOUNTAIN!" she shrieked. Haldir only laughed harder and reached out his hand to her,

"Come on, it is not as bad as that. Truly, we are nearly there!" he said, pulling her up the steep rock she struggled on. "We must hurry, the sun will be setting soon. I would not want you to miss it!"

"I swear to all that is holy, Haldir, if you tell me to hurry one more time I will have your thumbs for earrings." she grumbled under her breath, not nearly quiet enough to go unnoticed by Haldir's sharp hearing. He only raised his eyebrows in slight surprise and pulled her a little further into the dense wood. Holly stopped for a moment to catch her breath and Haldir walked on ahead.

Perhaps she was being a little dramatic. Now that she had had a moment to catch her breath, it did not seem so bad. In fact, it had been quite pleasant until Haldir had informed her that they would have to walk _up_ to Cerin Amroth. Their path had grown steeper and steeper until she felt that she was actually climbing and not walking at all. Still, that part had been mercifully brief, and she did not see any further incline ahead of her. She had lost sight of Haldir as he disappeared before her into the trees, his green-grey cloak blending seamlessly into the foliage of the Golden Wood. Holly quieted her breathing and let her ears find his presence. This was something Nestarion had been teaching her, to use her fëa and her elven senses. The Eldar could sense each other, and in the encouraging embrace of Lothlórien, her senses could be heightened.

Holly pushed onward, gently brushing the boughs and branches of the _mellyrn_ away from her path, clearing her view. She could see warm, fiery sunlight stream between the leaves and she knew she was walking in the right direction. As she pushed the last obstructive bough away, her breath hitched involuntarily.

She had found Haldir. His silver hair looked like molten fire in the warm, golden glow of sunset. He stood tall and broad on the top of the hill, overlooking the tall treetops of Lothlórien. She could not see his face, for his back was to her, but she could feel the emotion radiating off him as he admired the sublime, majestic beauty of Lórien. Holly looked past him to the spectacular view before her: the sunset cast a deep, orange light upon all she saw. The normally ethereal, grey and golden forest was alight with fire and warm sun. Sensing her quiet presence behind him, he turned to her with a humble smile, so unlike him, and ushered her forward.

"Is it not magnificent?" he asked her, his voice sounding very far away. At a loss for words, Holly only nodded silently beside him. The power of the sight before her was not lost on her, and she felt it in her young soul. Its beauty threatened to bring tears to her eyes, and though she wanted to look away, she could not. Despite her best efforts, two twin tears rolled down her cheeks and she made no move to brush them away. Haldir looked to her again and smiled, "Did I not say I would show you the very best of Lórien?"

His words broke her from her reverential silence and she wiped the tears away with her sleeve, smiling bashfully, "Sorry, I don't know what's come over me. It's beautiful, truly,"

Haldir turned away from the view now and looked at her seriously, "Do not be ashamed, it is natural for elves to be so moved by the majesty of nature. It calls to our fëa, you could not help it if you tried."

Holly nodded in thanks and sat down on the bare rock of the hilltop. Moments later, Haldir followed suit and pulled open his bag again, offering her some bread and dried fruit. Holly took it thankfully and ate in silence, watching the sun creep further below the horizon until it disappeared below. The once fiery glow had calmed and turned to the shadowy embers of dusk. They talked little as they ate, only offering each other food and drink. Holly enjoyed the way they sat there easily, without the need for chattering conversation.

Suddenly Haldir lay back on the rock and stretched his legs out in front of him, resting his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Holly was frozen in place. To say he looked good in this position would have been the understatement of the century. His long legs were at advantage at this angle, accentuating his lean figure. His hands were clasped together, pulling the material of his tunic tight around his arms. Holly could not help but admire the curvature of his muscles. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and feel him, but knew she would not. He did not want this, he had almost said as much. She, too, wanted to be friends! But why, God, why, did he have to be so _tempting?!_

Holly felt her cheeks grow warm and began to fidget with the hem of her tunic. Haldir cracked an eye open and looked at her curiously. All of a sudden, his arm flew out from behind his head and yanked her down onto the ground by the sleeve of her shirt,

"You need to relax." he said, pushing her shoulders down, so she was laying beside him, facing the sky. He then moved away from her as quickly as he came, closed his eyes again and replaced his arm behind his head.

Holly felt anything but relaxed. She took a deep breath and calmed her beating heart. _Nothing is going to happen!_ She mentally reminded herself, forcing any impure thoughts out of her head. She brought her legs out from underneath her and let them stretch out on the cooling stone. She matched Haldir's position and put her hands behind her head, but she did not close her eyes. She stared up at the sky and marveled at how different it was from Earth.

"You are not relaxing," Haldir said dryly, with feigned annoyance in his words. Holly sighed but turned her head and smiled at him,

"How can I relax where there is so much to admire?" she asked, then immediately blushed furiously. Haldir laughed,

"I have never seen an _elleth_ blush before. Your ways are so foreign to me. Fear not, Holly. I am not so conceited as to think you made reference to my glorious self." he said arrogantly, but the comment was playful and Holly laughed.

"You are too humble, Haldir. Do you not know what a gift from the Valar you are, how the _ellith_ of Lórien follow you like lost puppies? How they admire and love you?" she exclaimed dramatically, waving her arms about her, landing one across her face, "You beauty is too much to bare- leave me!"

Haldir let out a hearty guffaw, sat up and and thwacked her with his discarded cloak. It fell straight onto her face and she sputtered the materiel out of her mouth, "That was not very nice!"

"I do not appreciate being mocked! I am a respected _ellon_ of the Golden Wood, Marchwarden of the Galadhrim and I-"

"Am the most arrogant, egotistical, conceited elf ever to walk to paths of Lothlórien!" Holly finished for him, throwing his cloak back at him, landing it over his head. Haldir drew his hand up and pulled the cloak off his face and Holly burst into peals of laughter, sitting up slowly.

As he pulled the cloak off his head, his hair came with it, flying into his face in a disheveled mess. Suddenly he did not seem so untouchable and unreal to her. Haldir pouted and quickly attempted to smooth his mussed hair. "Oh, give it up, it's a total mess now." Holly said with a laugh.

Haldir contemplated her words momentarily and felt his crooked braids and tugged at the hairs that had come loose. With a sigh, he pulled the leather ties out of his hair and let the silver locks fall down onto his shoulders and into his face. He ran a hand through them, pushing them away from his eyes and frowned at her, "Look what you've done! Are you proud of yourself?"

"Immensely!" she replied, getting to her feet. Feeling carefree and happy in that moment, she spun around in a circle, letting her long cloak billow around her. She laughed happily and stared up at the stars, "I love these stars. They are so clear and bright, so different from where I came from!"

Haldir stood, as well, and began clearing their things. He looked at her, twirling about under the starlight and felt happy, "You are become more elven with each passing day, soon we will have you composing poems to Eärendil and singing songs to Elbereth."

Holly stopped her twirling and stood still, dizzily. "I love songs. Do you have many?"

Haldir hoisted his pack onto his back, "Yes, the elves love to sing. Perhaps, one day, if you are lucky, I will sing for you. I have been told I have a pleasant voice."

Holly snickered, "Of course you have."

"And what is that supposed to mean?!" Haldir asked indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing, it's just that you seem to be good at everything, at least according to yourself." she quipped, risking a look at his face. His expression was that of insult, but his eyes sparkled playfully.

"Ai, you are impossible. There is nothing I can say that you will not twist and use against me!"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. You give as good as you get and you know it." she answered, pushing her way through the trees and climbing down the hill that had given her such trouble before. Haldir shook his head and followed her down, albeit with a lot more grace and dexterity. Twice he shot out and arm to steady her careless movements and prevent injury. She may appear more elven, but she still lacked the careful poise of the Eldar. It did not bother him, however, and he found he enjoyed her unpredictability, even if it was often to his detriment.

Haldir watched Holly as she walked. She seemed to remember the way well enough. She stopped every once in a while to look up at the stars, to admire the silver light of the moon on the grey leaves of the _mellyrn._ Haldir could not help but feel his heart swell with pride at the sight of her, enraptured with the forest he loved so much. Her face was alight; he could see the stars sparkle in her eyes as she touched the grey bark of the trees and stopped to run her fingers through the soft grass in a small clearing. She was clearly in awe of her natural surroundings, and Haldir could not help but feel that for the first time since her arrival, he had actually made some progress in making her feel at home here. Lady Galadriel would be pleased with him.

He thought about his initial annoyance at having been saddled with her. Truly, he had thought the entire thing a burden at first. Now, he had been decidedly swayed by Holly's spirit. She had proven herself useful, interesting, friendly, and easy company. He was happy to count her amongst his friends. He laughed lightly to himself as she twirled about in the clearing, long hair billowing out behind her, raven and glinting of silver in the dusky light. She smiled at him and reached a hand out to him,

"Come on, let's go back. It's getting very late and we have a long way to go." she said with a sad smile. He took her outstretched hand and allowed her to pull him deeper into the forest, away from Cerin Amroth.

* * *

It was nearly dawn when they returned to the city. Holly was loathe to let the night end. Her elven constitution allowed her to remain awake for many hours, but she had to admit that her energy was beginning to wane. They had walked many miles that day, and for nearly twenty-four hours. She was sorely looking forward to her bed, but the day had been wonderful and she could not hide her glee as Haldir walked her to her _talan,_ not far from his own.

"Oh, yes, bed. Bed!" she exclaimed as they walked up the steps, stretching her arms out in the direction of her _talan_ in longing. Haldir chuckled,

"You prefer the company of your bed over me?" he asked jokingly. Holly laughed at him,

"At the moment, yes. Or..." she trailed off, suddenly smirking and giving him a wink, "Why not both?"

Haldir stopped in his tracks and a ripple of confusion moved across his eyes. _What?!_ He thought. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Holly's raucous laughter,

"Oh, Haldir. Your face! You should have seen it!" she was nearly doubled over in laughter, clutching her sides, "Don't worry, Haldir. We agreed – too much wine and too much dancing."

Haldir laughed dryly, "Be careful, _Ercassiel,_ two can play at that game."

Holly scrunched up her nose, "Ew, don't call me that. It's a terrible name." Haldir looked genuinely surprised,

"You do not like it?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged, "It's very long. Besides, my parents named me Holly, not Ercassiel. It feels strange to accept the name given to me by my birth parents."

Haldir nodded, "Still, you are elf-kind. Should you not have an elven name?" Holly shrugged again,

"I don't know? Should I? What's wrong with 'Holly'?" she asked. Haldir shook his head, his loose silver-blonde hair moving in front of his eyes. He brushed it away quickly,

"Nothing, it is a nice name. But perhaps not as fitting for your elven self. You are Holly, and yet, you are something else as well. It is not uncommon for elves to take on several names in their lifetime."

"And do you have any name other than Haldir?" she asked. He shook his head with a smile,

"Nay, I am only 'Haldir'." he answered, taking her lightly by the arm and guiding her up the stairs.

"Then, for now, I will be only 'Holly'." she answered with a nod of finality.

"Very well, _mellon nin._ " they approached her door and Holly turned to face him. She put her hand on his shoulder and look up at his face, not as serious as she had always remembered it to be. Haldir had shown a different side today, and she was appreciative of this.

" _Hannon le, Haldir."_ she said quietly, as if suddenly realising that it was nearly dawn, and the first rays of sunlight were creeping over the horizon. "I had a wonderful time today. The forest—it's so beautiful. Thank you for showing it to me. I feel I understand Lothlórien better now. I feel as though I can...be at home here."

Haldir bowed his head to her politely, "It was nothing. I am glad you enjoyed it." He was touched by her words, and pleased that she felt that way. He was proud of the Golden Wood, he had hoped that his love of Lórien had shown.

"Good night...or good morning. Well, goodbye!" she said, rather awkwardly. Haldir chuckled and took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly,

"Goodbye, Holly. Until next we meet!" he said, releasing her hand. With a final grin, he turned on his heel and walked swiftly back down the steps. Holly waved him goodbye as he walked down the path and to his own _talan._ When he was out of sight, she opened the door and crawled peacefully to bed.

As Haldir approached his own _talan,_ not moments later, he felt a brush at his mind, and he could sense a deep feeling of pleasure and happiness, _"Well done, Marchwarden."_ spoke the voice of the Lady Galadriel in his mind. Haldir stopped and looked to the sky, his hand over his heart. He bowed his head lightly, mentally communicating his thanks to the Lady.

* * *

Holly woke a few hours later feeling surprisingly rested. Above all things, she felt that the greatest gift bestowed upon the elves by Eru Illuvatar had been the gift of time. Not only were the elves immortal, but they seemed to require less sleep than humans, and often functioned happily on only a couple hours' rest. Holly's legs ached, however, from the vigorous walking of the previous day.

 _I think a nice, relaxing bath is in order._

With that thought, she collected her bathing things and walked over to Eruana and Orophin's house. Holly and the golden-haired _elleth_ had gotten into the habit of going to the springs together, sometimes with other _ellyth,_ sometimes alone. She would see if Eruana fancied a swim before heading over to the springs herself.

She selected a soft, flowing white gown and her silver slippers, packed her basket of bathing things, and set off toward her friend's _talan._ It was a bright, beautiful morning. As usual, Holly was enjoying her walk, but this time she reminisced the events of the previous day. What a lovely day it had been! She realised that she had dearly missed her hikes, finding new views and beautiful places, hidden in the world. She felt suddenly giddy at the idea of being able to discover a whole new world's worth of spectacular views and scenery.

 _"Good morning, Ercassiel!"_ a clear voice rang, like a bell, from behind her. Holly turned to find Lady Galadriel standing outside her great, overflowing garden, selecting blooms from among her plethora of varied flowers. Holly addressed the Lady in Sindarin,

 _"Good morning, my lady. How are you today?"_ she asked politely, bowing her head. The elves did not bow deeply or curtsy. They bowed their head in politeness, or placed their hands over their heart in reverence of their lords and ladies, of which there were admittedly few remaining on Middle-Earth.

 _"I trust you had an enjoyable day with the Marchwarden, yesterday. How did you find Cerin Amroth?"_ she asked, smiling graciously at the young _elleth._ Holly beamed,

 _"It was beautiful. I cannot..."_ she began, then switched to Common, "I'm sorry, I do not know the words in Sindarin to adequately describe the beauty of Cerin Amroth. I am so glad to have seen it."

Galadriel smiled at her and rested an elegant hand on Holly's shoulder, "I am glad of it. There are many fine sights in Lórien for you to enjoy, and elsewhere in Middle-Earth."

"I look forward to seeing them." Holly responded, sensing that this was not the reason for Galadriel's speaking to her.

" _Ercassiel,_ Nestarion tells me you are progressing well in your studies in healing. Are you enjoying your work?"

"Oh, yes, very much. It is just similar enough to what I did back home that I find it comforting, and just different enough to challenge me."

Galadriel smiled at her manner, the child was very self-reflective in her young age. "That is well. You know that Lord Elrond, my son-in-law, is counted among the most talented of healers in Arda. Would it interest you to someday travel to Imladris and learn from him?"

Holly nodded but frowned slightly, "Is there not much more I can learn from Nestarion? It is my understanding that he also a great healer?"

"Oh, yes. Nestarion, himself, studied under Elrond. He is very talented, and very learned. I consider all the inhabitants of the Golden Wood to be of value, but Nestarion has proven his worth to us all time again. No, there is much you may yet learn from him, I ask only because I thought it may interest you to learn of your parentage."

Holly felt her heart rise up to her throat. Of all the things she had managed to get used to about her sudden appearance in Middle-Earth, the prospect of meeting people who had known her parents was not one of them. She had always known that she and Heather were adopted, but yet she had never sought out any information regarding her birth parents. Her parents were her parents, she never questioned that. "I...I don't know, my lady. There has already been so much to take in, so much to do. I finally feel as though I can be comfortable here, I don't know if I am ready to confront that just yet."

Galadriel's smile widened, "Of course, child. I would not push you. I am happy you feel you may have a life here, this was my intent for you. Still, our past is as much a part of us as our future, as our present. There is difficult and strife from each direction, but still they converge to make us who we are. Do not fear your past."

Holly smiled sadly, "I will consider it, my lady. I would love to visit other parts of Middle-Earth. Perhaps one day, an opportunity will present itself. Until then, I will not seek it out."

"Very well, _Ercassiel._ I can see that you will not be persuaded. I believe, however," she said, her placid smile growing mischievous, and making Holly _very_ suspicious of the powerful Elf-Queen,  
"that such an opportunity may come looking for you sooner than you think. The Valar work in mysterious ways, and they seem to enjoy thrusting you into your past."

Holly laughed lightly, "Indeed."

Galadriel's eyes sparkled with mirth, "I shall leave you to your bath, _Ercassiel._ Think on my words carefully. In the mean time, know that I am pleased with your progress here. Remember, all inhabitants of Lórien are of value."

Holly bowed her head at the Lady and laid her hand over her heart in goodbye. Galadriel returned to her flowers and Holly continued down toward Eruana's _talan_ in search of her companion, perplexed and amused by the Lady's thinly-veiled machinations. _Just what does Lady Galadriel have in store for me?_ She wondered, shaking her head as she walked.

* * *

A/N: Just a quick update :) Nothing major here, but a few hints. I'd like some feedback, if possible!

1) How do we feel about Holly going to Rivendell?

2) Do we want to see more of Heather, and see what she is doing? Or are we happy knowing that she is happy on Earth, living her life?

3) How are we feeling about Holly and Haldir's relationship? I'm sensing that they're not quite ready for something romantic yet. Perhaps they need a little more conflict, what do you think?

Thank you for reading :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

For the first time in weeks, it was raining in the Golden Wood. Holly watched as the rain poured from the sky, flooding the forest floor with water, from the comfort of healing _talan._ She had finished her work for the day an hour or so earlier, the last of the returning wardens having returned home some time ago. As she was cleaning up her things and tidying her station, the rain had began. Ilwe had arrived moments ago, utterly soaked and dripping all over the floor boards. Holly had elected, therefore, to wait out the storm in the healing _talan._

Ilwe was occupied with setting up her supplies and stripping the sheets off the cots. Holly got up to help her, figuring that she may as well be useful until the rain let up. It was so unusual, she felt, for it to rain in Lothlórien, though her friends had said that it was not. It was simply that the autumn and winter were drier months, and the spring was wet. It wasn't so different from Earth in that way. In fact, Holly had been more or less able to identify the changing seasons as they happened. She had arrived in late autumn, when the leaves were golden. Unlike on Earth, however, the leaves of the _mellyrn_ did not fall in autumn, but in the spring. Several weeks earlier she had been shocked to find that suddenly the beautiful, shining _mellyrn_ were bare, and the ground was carpeted with fallen leaves. She had been quickly reassured, however, that they would soon grow back, with flowers and blooms. She was beginning to see the small buds of flowers on the branches of the _mellyrn,_ and was profoundly happy to see them return. Though Lothlórien was not generally a rainy place, it had rained far too frequently for her liking. She missed the sun, the cloudless nights where she could spend her waking hours staring at the stars. She missed evenings at Elenalcar, dancing with her friends, and making new friends.

Holly suddenly perked up at the thought of Elenalcar. Perhaps, if the rain let up, there would be a gathering there later! After all, the wardens had returned today, and there was usually a celebration on the eve of their arrival. She looked back out the window gloomily and then turned her head to speak to Ilwe,

 _"Does it always rain this much in the spring, Ilwe?"_ she asked with a disheartened sigh. Ilwe turned her pretty face to look back at Holly with a grim smile,

 _"No, not usually. I think it's doing it because it is your first spring here and it wants to make an impression."_

 _"Who is 'it'?"_ asked Holly with a dry laugh, _"The god of rain and gloom? The weeping spirit of the Golden Wood?"_

Ilwe threw her head back and the sound of her laugh seemed to clear the room of greyness, _  
"You have become such a poet, Holly!"_

Holly smiled at Ilwe, _"Thank you, my friend."_ she looked outside again and the rain seemed to be dissipating. She peered down the path to her _talan_ thoughtfully, wondering if maybe she had enough time to make it back there before the rain got bad again. _"I think I will make an attempt at getting home."_

Ilwe smiled encouragingly, _"Good luck! I wish there was a way to be sure you got home safely. It is so slippery out there, I nearly lost my footing in the mud."_

 _Text me?_ Holly thought with a snicker.

 _"I will be careful."_ she said, grabbing her cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders. The woolen material would keep her warm and dry, at least. She pulled the hood up over her head and waved goodbye, _"I will see you tomorrow. Remember, Nestarion will not be in, so it shall just be you and I."_

Ilwe rolled her eyes, _"Yes, I remember. I am the senior healer, after all. It is rather my job to remember, seeing as I will be in charge in his absence."_

Holly mocked bowed at her friend, twirling her hands about her in feigned reverence, _"My apologies, master."_

Ilwe chucked a dirty rag at her and Holly ducked it deftly with a laugh. She opened the door and breathed in the damp smell of grass, flower and forest, _"Goodbye!"_

She heard Ilwe wish her a good evening, and shut the door behind her. Holly pulled her cloak tightly around her – it was not cold, but it was very wet, and though the rain was not coming down hard anymore, it was still coming down with consistency. She had made it nearly halfway to her _talan,_ dreaming of a nice cup of tea and perhaps a soak in the springs later, if Elenalcar was not a option, when she was stopped on the path by the sound of her name being called behind her,

 _"Lady Holly!"_ called the voice, _"Lady Holly!"_

Holly turned around abruptly to see one of Haldir's warden, Erendir. This was the same elf she had seen so gravely injured a few months earlier, and she was pleased to see him up on his feet, _"Erendir! I am pleased to see you looking so well. How are you feeling?"_

The poor elf looked rather confused at her colloquial use of his name, _"I am well...thank you?"_

Holly smiled apologetically, _"I'm sorry, you would not know me. I helped Nestarion tend to your wounds when you were brought to the healing telain. I was very worried about you, but I'm happy to see that you are just fine."_

Erendir beamed at her, coming closer. He was handsome, with the long golden hair of the Silvan elves, and sparkling green eyes that were both young and old, _"Ai! I am sorry, I only now realised that you must have tended to me. Thank you, Lady Holly. I am forever in Master Nestarion's debt, and yours as well. Had it not been for your expert hand, I may not be standing before you now."_

He then bowed politely at her, touching his heart with his hand and looking up into her eyes. Holly rested a light hand on his bowed shoulder and smiled, _"Nonsense, it is my job."_

Erendir raised himself back to full height, towering over her. Suddenly his eyebrows shot up and he looked quite panicked, _"I have an urgent message from Lady Galadriel! You are to report to her immediately!"_

Holly looked confused but nodded, _"Very well, thank you, Erendir."_

 _"My apologies for delaying you, I fear I was not cut out to be a messenger."_

Holly smiled at him, _"I am sure the Lady would not mind you thanking one of the healers who helped you. She would find it admirable. Besides, I am sure you will return to the border soon."_

Erendir smiled at her and bowed his head again, _"I certainly hope so, it is for the Marchwarden to decide, however."_

 _"Well, I, for one, would not want to be at the mercy of the Marchwarden. I do not envy you."_ she said with a wink and Erendir laughed. It was common knowledge that she and Haldir were good friends, and he understood her joke to be just that. _"I should go. Goodbye, Erendir! Take care of yourself."_

 _"Good evening, Lady Holly."_ responded the elf before bestowing one last dazzling smile on her and walking in the direction Holly had come from.

Holly picked up her pace, not wanting to keep the Lady waiting, despite what she had told Erendir. The rain had stopped, thankfully, so she hoisted up her skirts and the ends of her cloak and broke into a light jog. She arrived at Galadriel's garden quickly, and unsurprisingly, Lady Galadriel was waiting for her there, perched above her mirror, staring into its depths.

"Thank you for coming, Ercassiel." said the Lady without even looking up from her mirror. She stretched an arm out to Holly, gesturing for her to come forward, "I am sorry for taking you away from your relaxing evening, but I have something to discuss with you."

"It's alright, I hadn't quite made it to the relaxing evening part, I was still trying to make it home." Holly smiled, bowing her head in greeting. Galadriel glided over to a stone bench on the edge of the garden and looked down at the empty seat beside her expectantly. Holly shuffled over nervously, feeling very much like a child that was about to hear some very good or very bad news.

"Ercassiel, there has been a messenger from Imladris. Lord Elrond requires that his stores of dried _elanor_ and other herbs be replenished." she said, looking straight ahead, never meeting Holly's curious face, "He cannot, at this moment, spare a rider from Imladris to collect his parcels. I have told him that I will send someone who may bring them to him."

"Alright..." Holly began, very suspicious and not at all fooled by where this conversation was going. It was not the first time that Lady Galadriel had tried to get her to go to Imladris, and though Holly had resisted each attempt, the Lady had yet to _request_ that she go, "And you want me to go? Under the pretense that I bring Lord Elrond the herbs he requires, but really so that I can face my deep, hidden desire to confront my past and learn about my parents."

Galadriel looked over at her with an expression of surprise, but her eyes betrayed her amusement, "You have grown very wise, Ercassiel. But do not view this as nuisance – Nestarion has told me of your progress in healing. He believes that you will soon be ready to use your fëa to heal, and there is no better teacher than Elrond. Besides, I am simply sending you to Imladris. What you do with your time while you are there is up to you."

Holly considered the Lady's request carefully for a moment and let out an involuntary sigh, "I am scared to go, my lady. I feel as though I have only just come to call Lothlórien my home, and I am nervous to leave."

Galadriel looked at the young woman sympathetically and rested an elegant hand over hers, "Naturally, my child. But I shall not send you alone, you shall have an escort. No harm will come to you, the path to Imladris is safe. It shall not always be so, but it is safe now. You may return to the Golden Wood at your desire – you will not be obligated to stay."

Holly nodded, letting her head hang in front of her. She could not help the feelings of dread that bubbled up inside of her. She was afraid to leave Lothlórien, the comfort and safety of the only place in this new world that she knew. She did not really have the intention of learning about her parents like Galadriel wanted, but she did want to learn to use her fëa to heal, and both Galadriel and Nestarion had told her that Lord Elrond was simply the best instructor.

"Who would be in my escort?" she asked. Lady Galadriel waved a hand noncommittally,

"I had not yet thought of it, I was hoping you would agree first." she responded with a light laugh. Holly laughed with her,

"I did not realise that it was a request!" she exclaimed. The Lady's eyes softened,

"It is always a request, Ercassiel. You know what powers I possess, what I can see in my mirror. I see great feats and talents in your future, I only wish to ensure that you are given the opportunities to pursue them."

Placated by this statement, Holly nodded slowly, "I understand, and I would not want to appear ungrateful for all that you have done for me. I felt so lost...and so confused when I first arrived here. You gave me purpose, a profession...it is a wonderful feeling to wake up every morning and know that I can do good that day, and every day, forever."

"Then my final statement before I let you decide shall be this: a strong fëa alone is not enough to make you a great healer. You will need instruction, practice, and dedication. You will never lack for time, Ercassiel, only willingness to learn." The Lady got up from her seat and proffered her hands in front of her, reaching out to Holly, imploring her to take them. Holly rose and took the Lady's hands,

"I will go, my lady. I want to learn. I will take the parcels to Elrond and I will stay to learn from him, if he will have me." she said. Galadriel smiled at the young _elleth,_

"I am pleased, child. I will write to Elrond, and you will leave shortly, for I think his need of the herbs is dire." she responded, turning from Holly, then looking back quickly, "Tonight I will consider who is to be your escort, I will send for you tomorrow and we shall discuss it."

"Very well, my lady. Thank you...for your advice." Holly said, staring at the ground, suddenly very aware that she was talking to a great ruler, and not a friend. Galadriel had a suspicious way of making you feel very at ease when required.

"I said nothing you did not already know, Ercassiel." said the lady with an amused look, before gliding out of the glare, and up the steps to her _talan,_ leaving Holly perplexed and with a lot to think about.

Holly made her way back to her _talan_ in the rain _,_ noticing, with no small sense of wonder, that Galadriel's garden had been perfectly dry.

* * *

"This is not a request, Marchwarden." Galadriel said, sternly, her face impassive. Haldir struggled to keep his displeasure from his face, not wishing to appear disrespectful or disobedient in front of his liege lady. Galadriel sat on a divan in front of him, observing his face patiently, as though looking for signs of dissent.

"I understand, my lady, but surely I will be of better use here, or on the border -"

"Haldir, you are of use wherever you are, but I have need of you on this journey. She cannot go alone, you know this, I cannot spare an entire escort and you have wardens that would benefit from the experience of commanding in your absence." the Lady said, her voice losing its sternness, and softening. "This will beneficial to you and your wardens."

Haldir's lips formed a firm line and he kept his mouth shut. He would not argue or bicker about particularities with the Lady of the Golden Wood. He would do his Lady's bidding, and he would do it without complaint. He knew it made no difference as she could read every thought that passed through his head if she wished it, but then she would read, at least, that he respected her wishes enough not to be obstinate.

"Yes, my lady. When would you like for us to depart?" he asked stiffly. Galadriel smiled graciously at him, as though everything had gone exactly as she planned,

"The day after tomorrow, I should think. We shall need a day to prepare the parcels for Lord Elrond, and a day for yourself and Ercassiel to prepare for the journey. I will have provisions prepared for both of you, and horses saddled. I have not discussed it with her, but I believe Ercassiel is not unfamiliar with travel on horseback. She will not be a hindrance. Besides, I had thought you had grown to be friends?" Galadriel asked with a mischievous smirk. Haldir shuffled uncomfortably,

"We are, my lady. I am just unused to travelling in such close quarters." he said, diplomatically. Galadriel smiled,

"Nonsense, behave as though she were one of your wardens and you shall cope." she responded flippantly, getting up front her seat and gesturing for Haldir to stand as well. She walked him to the archway of the anteroom, the same anteroom, he recalled, where he had first been told of Holly's origins, and of her strange coming to Middle-Earth.

 _She is far from one of my wardens. None of my wardens have that tantalizing dark hair...or look at me with those unusual eyes..or would dare to be such a nuisance! I have no desire to go to Imladris! The rotas must be reconfigured for the summer, I still need to plan border provision for next winter, and then there is summer training to think of..._

"Please _desist_ with your fretting, Marchwarden. It is positively deafening." said Galadriel dryly. Haldir blushed furiously, realising that the Lady had been listening to his thoughts, but naively hoping that she had only noticed the last bit.

"My apologies, my lady." Haldir muttered, waiting patiently to be dismissed. Galadriel stood by the archway and extended an arm to the exit,

"Apology accepted. You will return tomorrow afternoon with Ercassiel. We shall discuss the details and particulars of your journey. You depart at dawn the next day." she said, bidding him goodbye. As he made his way down the steps of the great, wide, _talan,_ he was stopped again by her voice, "I will allow you to inform her of these plans, Haldir."

Haldir only nodded and stormed down the path, muttering under his breath as soon as he was out of earshot of the Lady's sentinels, making his way toward Holly's _talan._

* * *

Holly lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was deep in thought about her upcoming trip to Imladris, and all of its implications, when she heard rapid footsteps come up the steps to her _talan,_ and then a sharp rap on the door. Furrowing her brow, suspecting that it was well past dinner and nearing sunset, she got up from her bed, smoothed the skirts of her dress, and stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room to open the door.

There, in front of her, was Haldir, stern-faced and glowering at her. Holly raised her eyebrows at him in surprise, "Haldir...what a surprise?"

Haldir pushed the door open the remainder of the way and pushed his way inside, closing the door behind him. Holly crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, "Now just what do you think you are-"

"I don't supposed you realized that I had better things to do than to escort you across Arda on a little adventure!" he exclaimed, shooting her a frigid look. Holly gaped at him,

"What? How on earth do you imagine that this is my idea?" she asked indignantly. Haldir paced around the room,

"Oh, you are telling me that you didn't request that I escort you on your trip to Imladris? I cannot conceive of any other reason why Lady Galadriel would pull me away from my duties, which are numerous, and far more important than escorting you on your holiday!" he spat, before sitting unceremoniously into one of the carved wooden chairs of her kitchen table. Holly walked over to him and sat across from him with her elbows on the table,

"Maybe you're not as important and pivotal and irreplaceable as you think you are!" Holly retorted with a snort of derision, "Besides, I never asked for you, I didn't know who would be escorting me. If I had thought it would be you, I might have put my foot down and said no."

Haldir laughed dryly, shooting her a grim smile, "Somehow I believe you."

Holly rolled her eyes, "You should, I'm not lying. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go."

"Well, we are both going now, and there is nothing to be done about it. You will go to Imladris, and I will be your minder." he answered with no small amount of annoyance. His eyebrows were knit together in frustration and Holly almost felt bad. It was her fault that he was being coerced into going with her...perhaps it wasn't too late to tell Lady Galadriel that she didn't want to go? Or request that another be chosen to escort her? Surely there were available wardens less crucial to the running of the city?

"I hardly need minding, Haldir. I am not a child." she said pathetically, hardly convincing herself of that fact, let alone him. He only looked up at her with one of those devious smirks and then continued to shoot glares at the wooden table under him. After a long, brooding moment, he stood slowly,

"You will need tomorrow to prepare. Lady Galadriel has requested that we attend an audience with her tomorrow to discuss the details. I will come collect you after the midday meal. We leave the following day at dawn." he said stiffly. Holly's eyes grew wide,

"So soon?" she asked. That did not leave them much time to prepare, and she imagined that this only added to Haldir's annoyance.

"Just be ready tomorrow." he said, before turning on his heel, leaving the _talan_ and bounding down the stairs. Holly let out a loud sigh of frustration and kicked the wooden leg of the kitchen table. She winced in pain and hobbled over to the bed, throwing herself on the soft covers.

 _What did I just get myself into? What was Galadriel thinking?!_

* * *

Across the city, in the largest, broadest _mallorn_ of Lorien's golden forest, Lady Galadriel looked at her husband with a pleased expression – an expression he become very familiar with over the last few millenia. Yes, his wife was up to something.

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and gave me their feedback! Don't be frustrated, this is Holly and Haldir's way. They're suffering from a severe lack of communication at the moment. Please tell me what you think :) I will try to update again this week if I can. xoxox


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Two weeks. That is how long it would take them to reach Rivendell on horseback, more or less. While Holly wasn't exactly pleased about that figure, she shuddered to think how much worse it would be on foot. She sat in Galadriel's anteroom, looking at a large map of Arda, and though her _tengwar_ was not so terrible, she struggled to make out the names of so many unknown places. They were to follow the river Nimrodel through the Misty Mountains, exit the mountain pass in Hollin, then make their way north, on the banks of the Bruinen, to the gates of Imladris. If they made good time, the journey should take no more than a fortnight.

"Please tell me you ride," commented Haldir dryly, folding up the large map. Holly treated him with a smug smile, for once able to claim skill in something that would likely surprise him,

"Yes, yes I do. I rode horses back home throughout much of my childhood. The town I grew up in was famous for its equestrian activities." she said, getting up from her seat and smoothing her skirts. Galadriel shot her an encouraging smile,

"You are a lady of many skills, Ercassiel. I am sure Lord Elrond will be happy to make your acquaintance." she said, guiding Holly and Haldir to the door of her spacious talan. Her sentinels moved aside to allow them passage, "I shall have all of your provisions prepared. You need only bring your personal belongings. I think it best if you leave on the morrow, at dawn. Lord Celeborn will escort you as far as the western border of Lórien."

"It would be an honour." Haldir said solemnly, hand over his heart, bowing his head in Celeborn's direction. Celeborn looked to Holly and explained,

"It is our custom that our people never leave our borders unescorted. It reminds us that while we are under the protection of the Golden Wood, we never walk alone."

Holly smiled at him, touched by the sentiment of the tradition, "That's a lovely custom. I would be honoured to have you among our escort, my lord."

"And I am honoured to do it!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together and walking toward the large open archway that led down to the forest floor, "We meet at dawn. Rest well, for you have a long journey ahead of you."

"Thank you, my lord, my lady." responded Haldir politely, and before Holly could finish saying goodbye to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn herself, he was walking briskly down the steps and into the forest. Holly gave the two rulers one last nervous smile and then jogged after him. She and Haldir had bickered enough times for her to know that he probably just needed another hour or two to brood, but she had grown a little impatient with his annoyance over this situation which was largely out of her control. However, instead of unleashing her irritation at him, she opted for a softer approach. Much like she was, he was quick to anger but equally quick to cool down.

"Hey! Haldir! Wait!" she exclaimed, lifting her skirts slightly so as not to trip on them. Haldir slowed, but did not stop walking, and turned his head ever so slightly toward her,

"Yes?" he asked, not coldly, but...distantly, she thought. Holly put a hand on his arm to stop him . This seemed to catch him off-guard – he stiffened suddenly and stopped walking. She looked up, her eyes barely meeting his for a split second, then drifting to the floor,

"Listen, I really didn't mean for you to get dragged into this. Really, if I had known...I would have protested...It's an inconvenience, I know...I—"

She was silenced by the soft weight of his hand on her shoulder. Haldir was momentarily touched by her attempt at apology. She was not looking at him, but down at the floor. One of her hands still clutched the fabric of her skirts, the other rested on the thin fabric of his tunic. He could feel the warmth of her touch on his forearm, he could see the slight flush of her cheeks as she stared endearingly at her own feet, voicing thoughts that obviously didn't come easily to her. He knew she had no desire to apologize to him, especially not for a second time, and he knew he'd been acting like a put-out child. He was put-out, of course, but it had little to do with his work and more to do with his own trepidation at travelling alone with her for so long.

"Holly, it is alright." he said with a sigh, "It is not your fault, I know this. Believe me, this is not the first time I have encountered the Lady's...machinations."

He smiled wryly at her, but she continued to examine the forest floor with great interest. Suddenly, Holly felt a soft touch on her chin and she lifted her eyes to meet his silvery-grey ones. She gave him a tentative smile, "She's quite clever, isn't she?"

Haldir could not help but laugh, "Only you would manage to refer to one of the Wise, bearer of the ring Nenya, the Lady of the Golden Wood, as 'quite clever'," he said, letting his hand drop from under her chin as he clutched his side. Realising the only _slightly_ insulting nature of her comment, Holly clapped her hand over her mouth and turned positively crimson. This only caused Haldir to laugh harder, and he was now doubled over with shaking peals of laughter, " _Ai,_ if you keep up with this caliber of commentary, this will be an entertaining two weeks, indeed." he said, catching his breath as he recovered from his mirth. Holly giggled,

"I shouldn't have said that." she said, shaking her head. She gave Haldir another moment to compose himself before looking down toward the centre of the city, "Alright, I should pack, we only have a few hours of daylight left."

Haldir nodded and continued to walk back to what was presumably his _talan._ Holly followed and they walked in silence for a few moments until the road split, one path taking them up toward the centre of Caras Galadhon, and to where Haldir's _talan_ was, and the other, down toward the bathing pools, and closer to Holly's home _._

"Would you tell Eruana that I will come see her tonight, if I may, after I am done packing?" she asked. She had hoped she would have enough time to bid her friend goodbye before leaving. They would be departing too early in the morning to see her then.

"Yes, I was going to stop and see my brothers before we depart, as well." he responded. Holly looked down toward the path to her _talan,_

"I will see you in the morning, then." she said, with an air of finality, as though she didn't want to allow him any room to back out of the agreement.

"Yes, in the morning, By the stables near the western gate." Haldir bowed his head at her and gave her one of his quick, fleeting smiles. Holly felt her skin prickle at the sight, and every hair on her body stand on end. Those smiles of his were endearing and rarely bestowed on anyone, she had noticed.

"By the stables." Holly affirmed, though it came out a bit shakier than she intended. With another small nod, Haldir turned and continued down the path, throwing his hand back behind him as a final gesture of goodbye. Though she knew he could not see her, she waved back.

* * *

Holly observed the entire contents of her closet on the floor of her _talan_ and marveled at how she had accumulated so much _crap_ during her she short months in Caras Galadhon. Still, among the enormous pile of clothes and books and rolls of parchment and boxes of herbs and potted plants and tangled balls of linen bandages, she could _not_ find her cloak. As she stood there, scratching her head and ruffling her hair in very human-like frustration, she heard a soft knock on the door,

"Eruana!" she exclaimed happily at seeing the pretty blonde _elleth_ at the door. Her friend embraced her warmly. As Eruana pulled back from the embrace, her expression went from pleased to confused,

 _"Holly, what have you done?"_ she asked, gesturing the wreckage before her. Holly huffed and yanked her friend into to room, shutting the door behind her.

 _"I can't find my cloak. I can't find it anywhere!"_ she exclaimed. _"Everything else is packed – my tunics, my breeches, my healing kit, spare boots, my water skin, I even managed to stuff a dress into my pack!"_

Eruana surveyed the room and began gingerly lifting pieces of clothing and shifting Holly's belongings on the floor with her foot. _"Yes, I don't see it. Do not worry, I can lend you one. Your cloak was not warm enough for travel through the Misty Mountains, at any rate. You would have frozen."_

 _"I thought elves do not feel freeze?"_ Holly answered, then corrected herself, _"Feel cold, I mean."_

 _"Nonsense, of course we feel cold. Not mild cold, but extreme cold, such as you will experience in the Mountains, you shall surely feel that."_ Eruana responded with a frown. _"No, you will need a much warmer cloak. I will fetch it and bring it to you tomorrow morning. I believe Orophin and Rúmil intend to join your escort to the border. I think I shall accompany them, if Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn allow it."_

Holly smiled fondly at her friend, her first friend she had made in Lothlórien, barring Haldir, of course, though she was not entirely sure she could accurately describe their relationship as friendship. But Eruana's friendship had never wavered, "Oh, Eruana, that's very kind of you."

She pulled Eruana into a tight embrace. She sighed into her friend's warm hug and squeezed her tightly to her chest, "Why can't you be the one coming with me?"

Eruana laughed her musical laugh that never ceased to fill Holly with joy, _"Oh, I think it shall not be as bad as that. I have known Haldir for over a millenia, he will let no harm befall you, and you are getting along these days, no?"_

Holly snorted, "Yeah, sure, you could say that."

Eruana only smiled at her knowingly, often forgetting how young Holly was. Perhaps with a few millenia under her own belt she would be better equipped to recognize her own feelings. Still, it was nothing a little time would not resolve, and they had that in spades. _"And what of your true purpose in visiting Imladris?"_

 _"Learning from Lord Elrond?"_ Holly asked with confusion, _"Well, I wouldn't say I'm nervous about it, but-"_

 _"No, not that-Learning of your parents!"_ Eruana said, clasping Holly's hands in her own and pulling her over to the bed. Holly let her head fall into her palms,

"How do you always manage to read my mind?" she asked her friend ruefully. Eruana smiled sympathetically,

"Because this would stress me also." she answered. Holly nodded slowly met Eruana's perceptive gaze with watery eyes, "Oh, no, do not cry, Holly. There is nothing to fear."

"I feels wrong, Eruana." she choked out, feeling her throat grow tight and the tears well up in her eyes, "It feels like betraying my parents, the ones who raised me." she continued with a hiccup. She made no effort to stop the tears that fell down her cheeks, unafraid of showing this vulnerability in front of Eruana. Eruana laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed,

"Come now, they would not blame you for wanting to know. You have resisted this for months, refusing Galadriel's offers to gaze into her mirror, to visit Imladris. Perhaps it is time you knew."

"Maybe. I suspect I have no choice, I will likely find out whether I intend to or not." Holly said with a liquidy laugh, coughing lightly and sniffling. "I just wish that Heather was here. I don't miss her as much as I thought. I know that sounds bad, but I have you, are you are like a sister to me- I just wish she was here, for once. I need her."

Eruana pressed her lips into a tight line and looked at her friend seriously, _"I understand some of what you feel. My older sister sailed to Valinor some centuries ago. I miss her every day, but I, too, feel as though I have found a sister in you. Just promise me you will return to Lórien before too long!"_

Holly squeezed Eruana's hand in her own, _"Oh, I will miss you, my friend. I promise to return. I don't think I could stay away too long. Nestarion tells me that Imladris is set in a valley, with waterfalls and deep, shimmering pools. But few forests, and none that match the splendour of Lothlórien."_

 _"There is nothing in Arda that matches the splendour of the Golden Wood. The mellyrn will mourn your leaving until your return, my friend. Still, you must go, you must learn, and you will return wiser and better for it."_ Eruana replied tearfully, realising for the first time that she would miss Holly sorely.

Holly pulled her sleeve over her hand and wiped the tears off her face. She smiled sadly at the red-eyed _elleth_ seated on her bed, "Urgh, there is no time for this. I need to sleep. I am to meet Haldir at the stables at dawn."

 _"My, that does sound romantic."_ Eruana joked with a mischievous glint in her eye, lightening the mood. Holly bit her bottom lip to stop from laughing loudly.

 _"Yes, very romantic, until his criticizes my choice of travelling clothes, the utility of my hairstyle and tells me I am late even when I am early."_

 _"I do love my brother-in-law, but I must say his manners could use some improvement."_ Eruana admitted with a laugh, _"I will leave you for tonight. I shall bring you a suitable cloak tomorrow morning, consider it a parting gift."_

 _"Thank you, Eruana. How I would struggle without you."_ Holly said, walking her friend to the door. The friends parted ways at the doorway and Holly returned to the disaster that was her _talan,_ feeling very tired, not a little bit overwhelmed, but resolving to clean up the mess before retiring to what would be a uneasy, unrestful sleep.

* * *

As she made her way toward the stables the next morning, Holly admired every inch of the forest she could. The place that had once set anxiety in her heart, made her feel alienated and odd, now felt like home to her. As much as she was looking forward to seeing other parts of Middle-Earth, it felt strange to realise that she would miss her _home_. She would miss her friends, Eruana, Rúmil, Orophin, Ilwe, even the surly Nestarion. She suddenly wished that she had visited her favourite places before leaving – the hot springs, the dining hall, Celeborn's library, Galadriel's garden.

 _Don't be silly. You're going to see so many new things, meet so many new people. Maybe you'll even make new friends. You're going to learn to heal with your fëa, to touch the soul of another living being with your own, to mend the fibres of their being. Months ago you didn't even know what a fëa was, or that you had one, but it is such a beautiful thing, and you will spend your long, long life fixing damaged ones and bringing people back from the brink of fading- Helping people. What more could you want? What better purpose could you imagine?_

Suddenly, Holly's parting with the Golden Wood felt more like a 'see you later' and less like a 'goodbye'. She knew she would be back, she felt it in her fëa. Nothing could keep her from the trees she called home, from the _mellyrn_ that protected her and shielded her. That she would return, there was no doubt in her mind. She would go to Imladris, she would learn what she needed to learn to help her people, the people of Lothlórien. She would contribute and make her mark on the silver bark of the _mallorn,_ eternal proof of her existence, an everlasting 'Holly was here' on the great, reaching trees of the forest.

As she walked through the boughs of the forest, she felt the force of the trees wash over her like a wave. Each branch, each root, seemed to stretch out to meet her path, pushing her gently toward the gates of the city. They _knew_ she was leaving. The leaves on the trees shimmered and shook as though waving goodbye, bidding her farewell. Holly felt a deep hum of energy in her heart- in her fëa. The trees sang to her, their voices inaudible, but so very loud to her soul. She heard them in her mind and felt them in her chest. Holly stopped and placed her hand on the trunk of a great tree in front of her, needing to feel the physical connection between herself and the heart of the forest. She laid her palms on the grey bark of the tree and felt suddenly intertwined, as though part a web, to each tree and plant and blade of grass under Galadriel's protection. She could not tell if she was speaking aloud, but she spoke to them, bidding them all goodbye, promising that she would return to them, to their protective embrace.

Haldir watched her in silence, transfixed by the sight. He had seen her approach from down the path, and he had seen her stop dead in her tracks and run to the nearest tree. He watched her as she laid her hands on the tree and pressed her forehead to its bark in reverential admiration. He could see the quiet tears forming in her eyes, but he said nothing. To disturb this parting would be sacrilegious, and he could not bring himself to pull her away, though they had to depart. He recalled his first parting from the forest and how it had stung at him. He imagined it felt not unlike fading, in some small way.

Holly's fëa glowed and beamed, spilling light from her skin. Haldir was frozen in place, forced to watch on and do nothing as she exposed her beautiful soul to him and all others who would happen to walk by. He was spellbound by the unabashed display of feeling and felt his own fëa begin to stir. Still, none dared to upset the scene before them. Haldir waited patiently for Holly to disentangle herself from the forest, and cleared his expression of any residual emotion before greeting her,

"You are late." he said, jokingly. He made sure to speak with a smile, so she would know he was jesting. This was not the time for one of their ridiculous spats, he knew something of the deep emotion she was feeling, and it was not to be taken lightly.

Holly smiled sadly up at him and hastily wiped the tears from her face, "I know."

Haldir observed her for a moment as she tightened the straps of her pack on her back and adjusted the hair tie that held her braid together. She had pulled her long hair back from her face in a single, thick braid. She was dressed well for travel, he noted. "You are well prepared. Come, the horses are ready and our escort awaits us at the gates of the city. The western border is not far."

Holly followed him into the stables. There were horses' stalls lining both sides of the large building. This was the smaller stable, he told her. The majority of the horses were housed in a larger stable by the barracks, for use in training and for the wardens and sentinels. These horses were for travel, but these stables also housed the horses of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, as well as Haldir's own horse, Bruidal.

"I named him so because I found him and his mother on the banks of the Bruinen when he was only a foal. Bruidal is a wild horse, though I believe I have tamed him," Haldir explained, lovingly patting the great roan horse on his velvety nose. Bruidal did not take too kindly to being called tame, and snorted loudly, blowing hot air right into Haldir's face. Haldir let out a deep chuckle and patted Bruidal's cheek, "My apologies, _mellon nin_."

Holly looked up at Bruidal and let her hand rest just in front of his nose, allowing the horse to become accustomed to her scent. When she felt as though he would not mind, she stroked his soft neck, "Hello, Bruidal. It is nice to meet you."

Bruidal made no comment, but he did not pull away from her touch. Considering this a small victory, she looked back to Haldir, "And who will I be riding?"

Haldir walked over the to third box from the door of the stables and gestured to a smaller, but no less beautiful horse, "You will be riding Ithiell"

Ithiell was a beautiful dapple-grey. She was smaller in stature than Bruidal, but much more suitable for Holly's height. Ithiell's large dark eyes surveyed Holly cautiously. Holly bestowed a glowing smile on her, and immediately began to lavish the mare with affection, "Oh, you are a beautiful horse. Look at you! Oh, yes, Eru outdid himself when he made you, didn't he? Little moon-daughter,"

Haldir couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself as Holly completely lost herself in Ithiell. The little grey mare was a beauty, he had to admit. Ithiell certainly seemed to agree, as she had begun nuzzling Holly's neck, causing the _elleth_ to giggle uncontrollably,

"Oh, stop it, _meleth nin!_ That tickles!" she tittered, patting the horse on the neck and shooing her away. She looked back to Haldir clapping her hands together happily, "I love her!"

"Don't get too attached," he began seriously, though a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, betraying him, "She is one of my own horses, and I am not keen on parting with her just yet. Besides, let us see how well she tolerates you over the coming weeks."

Holly looked unaffected, "We'll see. Maybe she won't want you anymore!"

Haldir cocked his eyebrow, "Doubtful. Ithiell favours me above all others."

Holly looked back to Ithiell and stroked her nose lovingly, ignoring Haldir's challenging expression, "Yes, but she'd never met me before. Things change, and I can be completely irresistible when I want to be."

Haldir choked out a laugh, "True enough. I will endeavour to retain Ithiell's affections then, lest I lose her to a _very_ worthy opponent."

He gave her a quick wink and for a moment, Holly forgot what they had been talking about. Ithiell seemed to become annoyed at Holly's temporary lapse in her attentive ministrations and huffed loudly. Holly was shaken from her thoughts by the sound, and mock-scowled at Haldir, "Don't be jealous, Haldir."

"I have no reason to be. Until you kiss her the way -"

"That's enough of that!" Holly blurted, afraid that someone would hear. She unlocked Ithiell's box and took her by the reigns that Haldir had taken the time to ready for them. She could practically feel Haldir's false sense of victory radiating off of him, but she was not in the mood to engage him at the moment. She looked over each of Ithiell's legs, checking for swelling or tender spots. Finding none, she gently led the horse out of the stall, Haldir and Bruidal in tow.

They were greeted at the western gates of the city by Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn, Rúmil, Orophin, Eruana, and surprisingly, Nestarion and Ilwe. Holly smiled largely and waved at them all happily as they approached. Celeborn, Rúmil, Orophin and Eruana were mounted on their own horses, clearly intending to accompany them the short way to the western border out of the wood. The others stood at the gates patiently, waiting to say goodbye. Lady Galadriel spoke first,

"I bid you not farewell, but _tenn' enomentielva,_ until we meet again, in the language of Valinor. May your path be clear and straight, may your journeys be fruitful. I will look forward to your return, _Haldir o Lórien, Ercassiel Elrandir."_ Galadriel approached the two elves and bestowed a kiss upon each of their foreheads. Holly bowed her head down and put her hand over her heart in the elven symbol of respect,

 _"Thank you, my lady. Thank you for all that you have done. I am happy to return to a home here, a home that you have given me."_

 _"There will always be a home for you here, should you choose to make it so. I have named you Ercassiel Elrandir – Ercassiel Star-Wanderer. You came to us shrouded in mystery, as though from the heavens themselves. Now you are one of the Galadhrim, and I gift you an epess_ _ë_ _,_ _Elrandir. Thusly you shall be known, as one of the elves of the Golden Wood, as one who I under my protection. Whatever you discover in Imladris, know that you are of the Golden Wood, sent here by Eru Illuvatar."_ Galadriel spoke softly, resting her long, elegant hand on Holly's shoulder. Holly only nodded and smiled gratefully at the lady. She would miss Galadriel's kind, wise words. Galadriel turned to Haldir then, and spoke to him quietly. Holly did not hear what she said for she had approached Ilwe and Nestarion. She hugged the _elleth_ tightly,

 _"Take care of our old master, will you?"_ she asked, jokingly. Ilwe nodded enthusiastically,

 _"I shall put him through his paces for you."_ she answered, returning Holly's embrace. Nestarion looked far less amused and regarded Holly seriously,

"You will pay attention to Lord Elrond – he is a far greater healer than I, you will do everything you can to learn as much as possible before your return." he said sternly, frowning in his customary way. Holly struggled not to roll her eyes and managed a solemn nod of her head,

"Yes, Nestarion. I promise I am taking this very seriously."

Nestarion's eyes softened for a moment, "Trust your fëa, Holly. You will learn to use it for the benefit of others, do not push yourself too hard, but trust in it. Whether or not you do, your fëa knows what to do."

Holly made to mount Ithiell then, and Haldir followed suit, mounting Bruidal in one fluid motion. Suddenly a hand shot out to steady her, and Holly looked over to see Nestarion beside Ithiell, holding her hand tightly, helping her onto the horse. Holly gave him an appreciative smile. Nestarion put his hand over his heart and gave her his best serious-master-healer look, save for the slight twinkle in his eye, "Return wise, my apprentice"

"I will." Holly responded in all-seriousness, though his expression did not go unnoticed. She turned to the others then, not quite ready to say the rest of her goodbyes, "To the border, then?"

"Yes, we ought to depart if we want to make it to the first camp site before nightfall." Haldir answered, tightening his grip on Bruidal's reigns and leading the group toward the gate. He allowed Celeborn to take his place at the front of the escort. Holly turned back to the elves that had stayed behind and gave them one last wave. She felt a light brush at her mind and heard soft words,

 _Namári_ _ë_ _, Ercassiel Elrandir._

* * *

They reached the outskirts of the forest just over an hour later. The short journey had been jovial, with Rúmil and Orophin cracking jokes the entire way. Celeborn, to Holly's surprise, was not quite as serious as his wife, and even joined in on occasion. All in all, they were a merry party when they arrived at the border.

Glad that she had made her goodbyes to Eruana the night before, their parting now was happy and light-hearted. Eruana handed her a heavy package, wrapped in soft linen and tied with silver _hithlain._

 _"The cloak I promised you. Promise me you will wear it and think of your sister in Lórien."_ she said, kissing Holly on the cheek. Holly smiled at her friend and took the parcel gratefully,

 _"Of course I will. Thank you again, my friend. I will write to you, if I can."_

"You had better." Eruana responded in Common, giving Holly one last, tight hug. Just as Eruana released her, Holly found herself wrapped up in four very strong arms. Her face was squashed between two barrel-chested elves.

"Oh- my-urrrrfff-you guys, I- can't—breathe!" she sputtered out from between them. She felt the rumble of their laughed in their chests and she was finally released from their hold,

"Do not let Haldir walk all over you, little one." Orophin said, patting her amicably on the shoulder.

"Brother, I think you are better to warn Haldir. I think it is our Holly who makes the rules there." Rúmil answered for her. Holly only laughed, but she heard Haldir mutter under his breath,

"Not a chance, brother."

Rúmil laughed and clasped him brother by the forearm, "We shall see about that. I have already bet Orophin two flask of _miruvor_ that you shall return a docile little puppy. A few weeks under Holly's thumb and you are sure to return tamed."

Haldir, surprisingly, did not respond. Despite their jokes at his expense, he embraced both his brothers warmly. Holly observed their interactions with interest – Haldir was both warm and chastising toward his brothers. Both fatherly and brotherly, but no less loving. She was sure he would miss them, and with that she could sympathize.

"This is where we leave you. Have a safe journey and send word upon your arrival in Imladris." Celeborn said, far less ceremoniously than his wife. Clearly only one of them had a flair for the dramatic, though Holly had already suspected this to be the case. Holly and Haldir bid the elf lord goodbye and slowly walked their horses away from the group,

"Well, farewell!" Holly called out to them with a smile and a wave. They waved back at her. Haldir waved, too, and then looked at Holly, with a strange expression on his face,

"You can hear the river Nimrodel from here. We follow it straight to the mountain pass, we should make it there by nightfall, if we keep a good pace."

Holly shifted her weight in the saddle and adjusted her bag, "Lead the way, Marchwarden."

Haldir shook his head and brought Bruidal to a trot. Holly turned to look back at her friends one last time, and shot them a final smile. Her eyes met Eruana's momentarily, and the _elleth_ gave her one, last encouraging smile. Fortified by this gesture, she followed Haldir out of the forest and into the fields of long, golden grass beyond the treeline.

* * *

A/N: Ooof! OK! This was a bit of a long one, but all I have to say is...let the adventure begin! PLEASE let me know what you think so far. Thank you to everyone who reviews, follows, put my story on their alerts, it's all very, very encouraging! I accept constructive criticism, as well, so please, if you have any advice or critiques of any kind, please feel free to message me or review. I appreciate all feedback :) Needless to say, we're in for a few SUPER fun chapters. To be honest, I have most been looking forward to writing these, so I can't wait to share them with you. :)


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

They needed to stop. They needed to stop right now.

"Haldir!" Holly called out ahead, where Haldir was trotting along on Bruidal. He did not look back at her but she heard him say,

"We do not stop again until nightfall."

Holly sighed, "No, Haldir- I need-" she was cut off abruptly,

"Nightfall!" he shouted back at her with finality. Holly frowned in disapproval. She tightened her grip on Ithiell's reins and pulled them back gently, bringing the pretty mare to a halt. This did not go unnoticed by Haldir, who did not stop Bruidal but finally looked back at Holly just as she had hopped off of Ithiell's back, her feet landing softly on the padded ground, "Why do you insist on disobeying me?"

Holly gave him a withering look and gently led Ithiell to the edge of their path and over to a large tree. Haldir was off of Bruidal now, and stalking toward her menacingly. He'd been grumpy all day. She'd guess that he was saddle-sore but she knew him to be a practised, experienced rider. She'd grown annoyed enough with his own annoyance that, frankly, she didn't care to ask why he was in such a foul mood. Holly looped Ithiell's reins around the branch of the tree and took a quick look around, selecting her spot carefully. She eyed the forest and her gaze fell on a large bush about fifty feet away from them. She hopped in place to re-settle her bag on her back and began walking toward the bush.

"And just where do you think you are going?" Haldir demanded angrily from behind her, following her into the thickets. Holly spun around on her heel and levelled him with her best glare,

"To _urinate_. If you had bothered to ask the last three times I tried to stop you, you would have known." she responded icily, not bothering to assess his expression before continuing on her way to her chosen bush. She noted, however, that Haldir did not appear to be following her anymore.

When she had finished her business and found her way back to the path, Haldir was leaning against the tree she had tied Ithiell to. Ithiell was no longer tied to the tree branch and Haldir held her reins in his own hands, with Bruidal's. No longer in desperate need to relieve herself, Holly flashed him her prettiest, most artificial smile. "I drank a lot of water." she supplied, with a shrug. Haldir looked unamused but unaffected by her comment. He handed the reins back to her silently, and even held out his hand to help her mount Ithiell.

Holly took his hand. His grip was firm and his hand was warm against hers. She could feel the steadiness of the muscles in his arms as he effortlessly held up her weight while she hopped on Ithiell's back. When she had secured her position on the saddle, she looked back at Haldir, who gave her a silent nod, before slowly dropping her hand. Understanding the gesture for what it was, a small apology, Holly gave him a weak smile. She patted Ithiell on the neck, whispering words of endearment in the mare's ear as she waited for Haldir to remount Bruidal.

"Where are we stopping for the night?" she asked, attempting to ignite some sort of conversation between them. Haldir's mood seemed to have lightened a little, and he pulled Bruidal up beside Ithiell, gently kicking him into a slow trot. Holly followed,

"We ought to reach the juncture at which the Nimrodel meets the Celebrant by nightfall. It is an open space, we can camp there before making our way into the Misty Mountains tomorrow."

"Will it be cold in the Mountains? I would imagine so." she asked. Haldir shrugged a little,

"Yes, but not so much for an elf." he said. Holly smiled at him,

"I come from a cold country, anyway. Our winters are some of the coldest around."

Haldir seemed surprised at this information, "But you often complain that you are cold. In fact, I don't believe I have ever met an elf so averse to cooler temperatures."

Holly laughed and gave him a wry smile, "Yes, well, just because I'm used to the cold doesn't mean that I like it."

It was Haldir's turn to smile, "True enough. The mountains will be cold, but not so cold as that. It is still early in the season, though it might get rather cool at night."

 _So we can snuggle_ , Holly could not help but think. The thought had popped into her head completely by surprise and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Haldir gave her a funny look,

"What is it?" he asked, patting his hair lightly, looking for things that were, perhaps, stuck in his braids or for something on his face. His nervous expression only made Holly laugh more, and she was soon completely taken over by a fit of giggles and the odd unladylike snort. After a moment or two of laughter, she finally caught her breath,

"Hmmm oh, sorry! I don't know what came over me." she said with a sigh, a stray giggle finding its way out as she calmed herself. Haldir gave her a questioning look,

"Care to share what was so funny?" he asked, patting Bruidal on the neck absent-mindedly. Holly could only look at him for a moment before laughing again,

"No, I don't." she deadpanned. Haldir rolled his eyes and picked up Bruidal's pace slightly,

"Suit yourself!" he said, cocking his head forward, gesturing for her to follow his pace. Holly dug her heels into Ithiell's side gently and the mare responded by settling into a well-paced trot beside Bruidal.

Admittedly, Holly felt a lot more comfortable now that Haldir had seemingly abandoned his temporary bout of moodiness and determined that he was now capable of speaking to her. Curious, but not quite sure if she should poke the bear, she debated asking him a question,

"Haldir..." she began slowly, attempting to keep her voice as level as possible, "I know you don't really want to be here...I know that escorting me to Imladris bothers you...but...I can't help but feel that there is something else ailing you."

She wasn't looking at him now, but was eyeing the reins in her hands, wringing them together nervously. She was afraid of what he might answer, that he might say that her company appalled him. She kept her eyes down as she waited for his response, fully expecting some sort of angry outburst. But it did not come, and after a moment, she looked up at him questioningly. He was looking at her with a strange expression on his face, but it was not unkind.

* * *

Haldir remained silent for a moment, debating how best to answer the question. He knew that he had been surly and unhelpful thusfar – the recent incident with Holly stopping to...relieve herself...had made him aware of that fact. She deserved some sort of apology, he knew, but to tell her the whole truth was simply inconceivable at the moment. Truthfully, there were a lot of reasons why he would rather not be on this journey,

 _Your tempting presence, for one._ He could not help but admire her as she sat atop Ithiell, hips moving back and forth on the horse's back, in time with the mare's gait. The way she had unraveled her braid earlier, letting her dark, flowing hair fall down her back and over her shoulder. He longed to reach out and push it away to reveal the smooth, pale skin of her neck. He had rarely seen her in breeches since her arrival in Lórien, and even then, her attire had been strange and foreign to him. But now – clad in the tight, soft, doeskin breeches of a warden of Lothlórien, he couldn't help but admire the way they hugged her every curve, leaving little to his imagination. Thankfully, his discomfort was well-hidden atop Bruidal, but no – he would not be informing her of all of this at the moment.

"I don't mind the journey, and I don't mind visiting Imladris, or your company," he half-lied, speaking slowly, choosing his words carefully, "But I have many responsibilities in Lothlórien. I worry for the state of our borders in my absence, and while I believe my wardens to be capable, I fear there will be injury and trouble while I am away. I do not like not being there to oversee them, to ensure their well-being."

It was not a lie – it was, in large part, the reason why he did not want to go traipsing to Imladris for several weeks. It was not the whole truth, however, but Haldir sensed that the whole truth may not be entirely welcome, at least not at the moment. He allowed his eyes to drift away from the path before him and over to her. She seemed contented by his answer, and was smiling softly to herself. He could not help but smile back.

"You were worried about this?" he asked, with an eyebrow raised. Holly shrugged slightly.

"A little bit. I know we don't always get along perfectly, but I did feel as though we were friends, and I didn't expect you to oppose this journey quite so much."

Haldir felt his heart constrict in his chest. She had been worried that he didn't enjoy her company. The thought nearly made him burst into laughter, for he knew the complete opposite to be true, but he also felt guilty in no small amount for having given her any cause for sadness. Rather than express these feelings, however, he opted to, as per the usual, diffuse the tension with humor, "You _did_ feel as though we were friends? Are we no longer friends?"

Holly's face changed from slight embarrassment to pure shock, "No! I mean, I _do_ , I _do_ feel as though we're friends. We are friends, aren't we?", she asked hurriedly. Haldir smiled and chuckled,

"Yes, Holly. We are friends, fear not." he answered smiling at her as kindly as possible. Seemingly reassured but his words, Holly pulled Ithiell over closer to him and reached a hand out to rest on his arm. Before it landed there, however, Haldir caught it in his own and pulled her closer, bringing her hand up to his lips. With a slight smirk, he laid a quick kiss there, momentarily enjoying the feeling of her soft skin underneath his lips, "My apologies, my lady, if I have caused you any distress."

* * *

She knew it was a joke, she did. But she sat there frozen, save for Ithiell's movement beneath her, staring at his hand, holding hers, and his lips, touching her skin. He slowly lowered her hand and her skin felt positively alight with heat, as though he had left a burning fire where his lips had touched her. She tried desperately to think of something clever to say, some snarky retort, but her mind was completely, utterly blank. She only stared at him as he let her hand fall back down to her side, smirking arrogantly in that familiar way. Her insides were screaming at her to react, but she could not.

Suddenly his smirk shifted into a chuckle and he was laughing at her. His amusement enough to shake her from her immobile state, she yanked her hand up and let it rest in her lap, her other hand still securely holding Ithiell's reins. She rolled her eyes at him and huffed, "Oh, shut up."

Haldir only laughed harder and tapped his heels against Bruidal's sides, "Come! We must pick up our pace if we are to make camp. If not, we shall be riding through the night!

Bruidal's pace rose to a swift canter and Ithiell followed. Holly stared at the broad expanse of Haldir's back, her eyes drifting downward, toward powerful thighs gripping the horse, and long, muscular legs. She felt the heat growing in her cheeks and pressed the back of her hand to face to cool them. She allowed Ithiell to follow Haldir's steady pace.

 _This is going to be harder than I thought._

* * *

The next three days passed in a relative blur. They rode all day, stopped a few times for food and water, then rode some more. At night, they lit a small fire, spoke little and quickly retired from exhaustion. Late on the second day, Holly was able to see the tall, dark peaks of the Misty Mountains, slowly revealing themselves from behind the dense cloud. On the third day, they had entered the deep valleys of the mountain range and slept in a grotto, small and scooped out of the side of a rock wall. It had been cold and uncomfortable, but Haldir promised that if they kept their pace, they would come upon a cave often used by travelers on the fourth night.

It was on this fourth night that Holly realised how truly ill-equipped she was for long-distance, rugged travel. They had been walking the horses behind them all day, not wanting to put any extra weight on their backs over the rugged terrain. She was in a foul mood, muttering under her breath, cursing the grey stones that surrounded her from every side, kicking unsuspecting rocks and bits of rubble, and generally causing a ruckus. Her level of annoyance even rivaled Haldir's own black temper from several days before, and he let her know it,

"Is that necessary?" he asked, scowling at her. She met his face with an equally disdainful look, "We will not get there faster if you kick stones or curse every god known to elves, human, dwarves and _yrch._ "

"I am so _sick_ of these rocks. Rocks everywhere! Why can't there be trees, or rivers, or fields?" she asked, rhetorically, kicking at another stone. It rolled forward and smacked Haldir on the back of his foot. He turned back and gave her a withering look,

"Because we're in a mountain range." he answered dryly. "If we keep a good pace, we ought to cross the range in two more days."

"I miss the forest." she said, sadly, feeling somewhat like a pouty child. Somewhat to her surprise, Haldir did not chide her for her whining and complaining, but gave her a sympathetic look,

"I, as well." he said, "I admit I have little love for stone and mountains, I do not envy the elves of Imladris for their choice of location, though it is very beautiful."

"You can't smell the green here." Holly agreed, quickening her pace. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. She walked in front of Haldir and gave him a commiserative pat on the shoulder, "Let's hurry."

She tugged lightly on Ithiell's reins, bidding the animal to pick up the pace. Haldir followed, whispering to Bruidal in Sindarin, promising him apples and sweet hay as soon as they arrived at their destination. Bruidal, the intelligent beast that he was, yanked Haldir forward in a single step, moving them quickly down the rocky path.

They continued like this for another hour or two. Haldir looked up at the sky, and seeing that the sun was rapidly approaching the horizon, he began to keep an eye out for someplace for them to make camp. Haldir's manner had changed this day, Holly had noticed. He seemed far more on edge, more vigilant and cautious than even before. His expression was nearly always far-away, listening into the distance, listening for any signs of trouble. Holly felt safe with him – she knew him to be a fearsome warrior, surely being appointed Marchwarden of the Golden Wood required immeasurable skill in battle, but this did little to calm her nerves. After hours of watching him watching nothing, after hours of listening to him listen to nothing, she asked him if they were truly safe there in the mountains,

"We are no longer under the protection of the Lady Galadriel," he said seriously, "We have not heard word of orc attacks in this region of the mountains for some time, or the Lady would not have approved such a journey, but orcs and goblins are changeable, unpredictable, vile creatures."

Holly tensed up noticeably. He did not believe their passage was unsafe, but he did not feel comfortable enough to drop his guard. The air was growing cold and Holly wrung her hands together in front of her, partly from worry and partly from the dropping temperature. Haldir surveyed the distance carefully before his expression perked up noticeably, "Come, I think I have found it."

"Found what?" Holly asked, hopping over to him quickly, gently pulling Ithiell forward. He gave her a small smile and gestured forward,

"Shelter!" he exclaimed happily. Their path curved, then, rounding a sharp corner. As they came around the outcrop of rock, Holly saw what he had been referring to. There was a small opening there, just barely large enough for the horses to fit through. Hesitantly, she followed Haldir inside. With the horses blocking the entryway, the cave was impossibly dark, and even with her superior elven vision, she had a hard time making out the wet, glittering walls of the cave. Suddenly she felt a firm hand on her arm and pried her eyes away from her feet, where she had been watching her every step lest she keel over, taking Ithiell down with her.

She followed the hand up, seeing Haldir's arm and torso in front of her. His face was very closed to hers, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. With his other hand, he placed Bruidal's reins into hers and closed her hands around them, "Hold these, I will light a fire."

Holly stood there in the dark, the horses' reins in her hands, waiting for the welcoming glow of the fire. She heard the sound of Haldir striking the flint, and she saw merry little sparks flitter across the stone floor of the cave. After a long moment, a small fire had been kindled, and Haldir tossed some sticks and branches on it. He had tied two faggots of wood to Bruidal's back before they had exited the forest. He hoped they would have enough for the following two nights, but felt that they needed a little cheer this evening, as Holly was tiring and her strength waning on them. Holly watched the light, grey smoke billow up toward the ceiling and roll slowly out of the entrance of the cave, over her head. Haldir was back at her side, then, and had taken the reins from her hands. He guided the horses to the far corner of the cave and untied a large bag of crushed hay from Ithiell's side. He laid out some of the sweet grass on the stone floor, and the horses busied themselves with their dinner.

While he did this, Holly unfurled both of their bedrolls and laid them out by the edge of the fire. She laid Haldir's out on one side and her own on the other. She thought, temporarily, of laying them out side-by-side, but decided against it, not feeling bold enough to tempt fate tonight. Haldir unpacked some food and handed her a small piece of Lembas. Holly plopped herself down on her bedroll and stretched her legs out to the fire, relishing its warmth on her chilled feet. They sat there in silence for a moment, eating their Lembas and enjoying the growing warmth of the cave.

Now, all aglow, Holly could clearly make out its size. It was not much smaller than the sitting room of her _talan_ back in Caras Galadhon, though its stony ceiling was very tall, and rapidly becoming obscured by the accumulating smoke. Still, the smoke continued to roll slowly out of the cave, but the air hung densely around them. The smell of burning wood was comforting to her and she felt truly cosy for the first time in days, "This is a very nice cave," she said simply, nodding her head and surveying their surroundings.

Haldir chuckled, bringing the Lembas down from his mouth, "I am glad my lady approves." he said, "It provides a nice respite, I must say, though it is a bit damp."

He touched the floor beneath him by way of example, and rubbed his fingers together, feeling the cold dampness of the floor beneath him. As he did this, Holly could feel the cold seep through her bedroll and and her breeches, making cold contact with her skin. "I think I'll have to sleep on my cloak," she mused.

"Then what will you use to cover yourself?" Haldir asked, clearly thinking her plan was poorly thought-out. Holly considered his question for a moment,

"A combination of the clothing I packed. Or nothing, we will see how cold it gets." she said.

"You will freeze." Haldir responded. Holly shrugged, and didn't respond. _So much for chivalry,_ she thought, hoping that he would offer her his own cloak or something of the like. He did not, and so Holly said nothing.

It was not quite dark outside when they finished their Lembas, and instead of going immediately to sleep as they usually did, they settled into quiet conversation. For the last two nights, Haldir had been recounting stories of the mischief his brothers got up to as elflings, telling her tales of ink in their mother's tea, hiding Celeborn's favourite books, and generally tormenting the inhabitants of Lothlórien with their antics. Haldir, ever the responsible one, was always called upon to clean up after them and deal with aftermath of their pranks,

"I haven't yet told you about the time that they mixed _miruvor_ into the wine served at a feast in honor of the delegation visiting from the Greenwood." he began, "You see, the combination of _miruvor_ and Dorwinnion wine is highly potent."

Holly could only laugh. She was familiar with the potency of Dorwinnion wine, as well as the heart-warming effects of _miruvor,_ and could only imagine the terrifyingly loosening properties of a combination of the two. Suddenly a gust of wind blew into the cave, sending a deep shiver throughout Holly's already tired body. It had not gone unnoticed by Haldir, who began rummaging through his bag, and pulled out a small, brown flask.

"Speaking of _miruvor,"_ he began slowly, untwisting the cap on the flask, "I had the foresight to bring a small flask of some with me, for just such an occasion."

Holly eyed the flask suspiciously. She craved its warming, comforting effects, but was wary of dropping her guard and accepting the intoxicating beverage. One small sip was enough to warm the entire body – several sips were enough to bring a fully-grown _ellon_ to his knees. Haldir shook the flask temptingly in front of her, "I do not know about you, but I am feeling a chill."

Before she could stop herself, her hand jutted forward and snatched the flask from his hand. She brought it up to her lips and took the tiniest sip. Her body became alight with warmth. Her muscles felt loosened, no longer aching dully, a feeling she had grown accustomed to over the last few days. She let her eyes slip closed and smiled slowly to herself, savouring the sweet, fragrant, fruity taste of the drink. Reluctantly, she handed the flask back to Haldir, who them followed suit, taking a small sip himself. She watched his appearance soften considerably. The serious creases in his face replaced by a look of near-serenity (for, she knew he would not completely let his guard down while they rested there). He leaned back onto his elbows. Holly could not help but admire the way his tunic pulled against the taught muscles of his abdomen as he stretched out languidly. He reached out his arm again, offering her the flask. The words came out, as if of their own accord, her mouth loosened by the _miruvor,_

"No, thank you. I remember the last time I let you ply me with too much wine." she said without thinking. Haldir's expression darkened, but from what, she was not sure. She winced inwardly, kicking herself for having even brought it up. He was staring at her now, his eyes dark, the only light there reflecting off the glow of the fire. His eyes bore into hers, but she found that she could not break away from his gaze. She could not speak to cover her statement with some joke or jest, and neither did he make to break the silence. It felt as though her words hung in the air, like some unspoken secret that neither wished to confront. But she _had_ spoken, and the words _had_ been said. All of a sudden, he sat up, bringing his knees up to his chest, resting his elbows on them, the flask of _miruvor_ still held limply in his hand. His eyes never left hers as he voiced the question he had been longing to ask her for months, the question that clouded every encounter they had, that fueled every bickering argument,

"Did you really have too much wine?"

"No," the words left her mouth as if of their own accord. Something flashed in Haldir's eyes, something dark. Holly could still not break their gaze, but she could feel her face burn with a heat not from the fire. He was appraising her now, she could sense it – gauging the veracity of her words, trying to sense her meaning. Even she could not explain her own meaning, but what she had said rang true, nonetheless. She had enjoyed every second of their kiss, and longed for it to be repeated. Still, she made no move, and after what felt like one very long moment, he averted his gaze and brought the flask of miruvor back to his lips. He took another small sip and proffered it back to her. She took it readily, needing a second wave of comfort to wash over her. She was not sure what significance was held in that question, but the air around them seemed to shift markedly, both decreasing the tension between them and replacing it with and entirely different kind.

He put the flask back in his pack silently. He shuffled his things around and Holly made to do the same. She laid her cloak down on top of her bedroll and lay down on top of it, resting her head on the soft, squishy fabric of her bag. She stared into the fire and slightly past it, watching Haldir do the same. Amidst the flickering flames, her eyes met his one last time. He gave her one of his slow, easy smiles, and shot her a quick wink before rolling over onto his back and letting his eyes glaze over in restful slumber. Heart pounding, Holly forced her eyes shut and squeezed them tightly, also rolling over onto her back.

The _miruvor_ had had its desired effect, however, and despite her raging thoughts, Holly drifted into a restful sleep.

* * *

A/N: OK! So, things will probably start to heat up a little from this point on. I'm hoping the slow burn here is compelling enough to keep you reading, but I think you'll finally get a little of what you want in the coming chapters :) I just have a few quick thank-yous and comments to answer below. I would normally answer each one via PM, but I think some of these responses might be helpful to other people reading:

Tibblets – the story begins in the year 2701 of the third age, which is approximately 300 years before the War of the Ring and the events of the Lord of the Rings. As I've mentioned, this will not in any way be a 10th walker fic, and it will follow book-verse, so while (possibly, I have SO not thought that far ahead yet) the fellowship may encounter Holly in Lothlorien during their sojourn there, Haldir will not be going to Helm's Deep and dying there.

SincerelySin – thank you so so much for your constant reviews and feedback! It's really very encouraging :) I really appreciate it. Please keep reviewing and leaving me your comments!

April2016 – thank you for your kind review :)

AshleyLeigh – just wanted to say, my middle name is also Leigh, so that makes you rad, and that makes me rad, and that makes us Leighs super rad. :)

CynthosMoon – you know who you are, and you know I love you.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

On the sixth day, they had left the dark, desolate passages of the Misty Mountains and entered the open, grassy plains of Southern Gondor. Holly could not have been happier to leave the rock and rubble behind. As they made their way down the flat, sloping side of the mountain, she took deep, full breaths and let the fresh air fill her lungs. She enjoyed the feeling of wind in her hair and gave Haldir a happy smile. It was just after dawn and the sun was still low on the horizon behind them, casting a cool, pale light on the shimmering grasslands ahead. Haldir's silver hair, normally tied in the intricate warrior's braids he often favoured, now hung loose around his shoulders and down his back as he combed his fingers through the tangles.

Yes, it would seem that his hair _could,_ in fact, tangle. While Holly struggled with her once-mortal hair, tangles and knots and grease and all, Haldir's hair had seemed to remain perfect for days on end. This morning, however, after having tossed and turned in his rest the night before, his hair was less than perfect, and Holly had made a point of telling him so immediately upon breaking camp. The result, now, was Haldir frantically trying to smooth his hair and redo his braids as Holly led the two horses down the easy path out of the mountains. After a few more moments of listening to him curse under his breath, Holly could no longer stand hearing his struggle,

"Do you want me to do it?" she offered, giving him a mockingly sympathetic smile. He returned a dry look and shook his head,

"No, thank you, you would not do it properly at any rate." he said with his leather hair tie between his teeth. Holly gave him an impatient look,

"We don't have all day. I won't do them the way you're used to, but they'll look neat and your hair will be out of your face."

He looked unsure for a moment, but then took the hair tie from his mouth and handed it over to her. She took it from him and exchanged it for the reins. Holly walked around him and positioned herself behind him, the slope of the hill lending her just enough height so as to allow her easily reach his head without straining. She began by pulling the hair back, away from his face, combing her fingers through the silky strands.

 _Oh, God, it's so soft._

Holly swallowed thickly as she combed back his hand, allowing her fingers to run along his scalp and across his brow. He said nothing as she continued her ministrations, only changing the angle of his head to grant her better access. Her fingers began to braid the strands of hair near his temple into her best approximation of a French braid,

"My mother taught me this," she said softly, her face close to his. He turned his head slightly, to look her in the eye. "We call them French braids, they're named after a country, France, back where I'm from."

"Are you from there?" he asked, speaking quietly, his voice barely a whisper. There was no need to speak loudly, the air around them was utterly silent, save for the sound of the soft breeze in the tall grass. Holly shook her head silently,

"No, my country is quite far from France." she replied, tying one braid off with the hair tie while she moved on to the other, "Your hair is softer than I thought it would be."

 _Lies. It always looked wonderfully soft and you know it._

Haldir frowned a little and brought a hand up to feel a loose strand of his hair, "Is it? I had not noticed," he began, "Yours is softer, I think."

Holly thought for a moment about how, exactly, he could know that, and her mind was filled with a flutter of flashbacks of her back against the trunk of a _mallorn_ tree, her hands woven tightly in Haldir's hair, and chest pressed up against his. Thankfully she was now standing directly behind him again, braiding the two French braids together, and he could not see lobster-red flush that now coloured her cheeks.

"Maybe." she answered simply, barely able to get those words out. She finished tying the strands off at the end and moved so that she was in front of him, eyeing her work as she made her way back around. She reached out and pushed the hair off his chest so it lay down his back and allowed her hands to rest on the curve of his shoulder, "There, all done."

Haldir was eyeing her curiously now, but he did not move. He raise a hand and patted the tight braids gently, testing their integrity and reaching behind his head to feel the tie there. He gave her a small, approving look, "It seems they will hold."

"They will, I used to do my hair this way all the time," she answered, letting her hands fall from shoulders, careful not to touch his chest as they fell.

"It would suit you, I think," he said, and suddenly catching one of her lowered hands, squeezed it lightly, and spoke softly in Sindarin, _"Thank you, Holly."_

 _"It was nothing."_ she answered with a small smile. She took Ithiell's reins from his hands then, and let her further down the slope, "We should let the horses graze for a few moments, no? Before we continue? Should we cut some grass, as well?"

Haldir nodded, "Yes, on both accounts. We will refill the bags with grass- we are unlikely to need it in the future, there will be plenty of hay and grass for them to feast on, but just in case, we should carry some."

Holly unfurled the burlap sack they had been using to carry their provisions of sweet hay as she watched Ithiell's munching happily, taking in her fill, now that they were in the wide, open fields. Haldir handed her a small dagger and she began slicing off handfuls of the stuff, filling her bags and Haldir's quickly. As she cleared a small patch of grass, she noticed something dark on the ground in the empty space. Peering into the thick grass, she saw it was a small black stone – no, upon closer inspection, it appeared to be an arrow head. Wordlessly she picked it up and held it up to show Haldir, unsure of its origins. He had not been facing her, but turned when he sensed her reach her hand out to him. When his eyes fell upon the crude, black arrowhead, his brows furrowed and his calm expression changed into one of concern,

 _"Yrch."_ he said simply, "We must move quickly, these open plains are not safe."

Haldir took the bags of grass from her and tied them to the horses' saddles. They allowed the horses a few more moments to enjoy their meal and then mounted them, following the side of the mountain range north, toward Imladris.

* * *

Haldir was very ill-at-ease, Holly could tell. Worse than when he was short or snippy with her, he was now completely silent, always listening. Holly was afraid to speak for risking his wrath. She was not annoyed at him for his surliness now, no, quite the contrary. She was grateful for his presence. While should could not quite describe her mood as calm, she felt assured by his being there and comforted by his watchfulness.

That night, and every night thereafter, Haldir had insisted they rest in shifts, with each of them keeping watch. It was on their third night in the open grasslands that Holly found that she could barely rest while Haldir watched over the camp. Her ears were constantly listening for strange sounds, breaking twigs or the sound of heavy footfalls on the grass. She heard nothing, but could not find sleep while it remained dark out. Haldir had put out the fire, letting it burn only long enough to warm their food and hands before stamping it out.

Holly wished that she had requested some kind of combat training from Lady Galadriel before setting out on this journey. She was quickly realising that had it not been for Haldir, she would likely be very much dead by now, either of exposure, starvation, or worse. It was clear, now, why Galadriel had sent him along with her. It was becoming clear to Haldir, too, who was glad, despite his concerns for their well-being, that he was here to ensure Holly's safety. He did not think Eruana, or even his brothers for that matter, would take kindly to the knowledge of any harm befalling their new friend simply because he had been too stubborn to escort her.

Holly knew there were other _ellyth_ in Lórien who trained as wardens, sentinels and soldiers, though they were admittedly few. Haldir had two _ellyth_ in his own company, if she recalled correctly, and both were looked upon with the highest esteem and deemed to be the complete equal to their male counterparts. Elves were welcome to pursue any type of career or profession they saw fit, and often pursued several different professions throughout their long lives. Still, Holly chided herself for having not selected some sort of more immediately useful skill, such a swordplay or hand-to-hand combat, as opposed to healing, which would apparently take her lifetimes to become proficient at. Deep in her heart, however, she knew there was no other profession for her that would bring such meaning to her life. She felt the healing power in her hands and in her fëa, and it would not be ignored or pushed aside.

Distracted by her idle grumbling and wayward thoughts, Holly did not notice when Haldir was immediately beside her, kneeling in front of her and speaking almost inaudibly, only loud enough so that her own elven ears could pick up the sound. He whispered in Sindarin, his lips pressed up against her ear in urgency,

 _"Take this, do not move, do not make a sound."_ Holly felt the cold metal of a dagger being gently but firmly pressed into her hands. She wrapped her fingers around the leather-bound hilt and held it tightly. Haldir stayed low, crouched in front of her, his eyes darting around, following a sound that was still imperceptible to Holly's untrained ear.

Suddenly, it was there. Footfalls, heavy and thudding on the soft ground. She strained to hear but thought she could make out six individual sets of footsteps. She mouthed word 'six' in Sindarin to Haldir who barely moved his head to nod in confirmation. Holly was frozen in place, still laying down, face-up on her bedroll. They were sure to be seen – elvish horses, while better trained, more intelligent and quieter than normal horses were still great, lumbering beasts and were sure to give away their position. No, Haldir was not hiding from their would-be attackers, he was biding his time. There was no escaping a skirmish, Holly realised, and that it why he had given her the dagger.

The footsteps were growing closer and suddenly she heard the sharp, terrible cry from behind her. In one swift movement Haldir had leapt over her and she heard the clash of metal on metal. She longed to turn her head to see, but she knew that any movement at all would give her away. No, Haldir had said not to move, not to make a sound, and so she would not.

She felt the hard thud of a falling body and knew that Haldir had slain at least one of them. Their cries were grating against her sensitive ears and the scent of their acrid blood filled her nostrils. She resisted the urge to heave and pressed her mouth closed, her lips forming a thin, tight line. Her eyes, however, were wide open and she listened carefully to the sound of Haldir fighting them off. Another thud and she felt a second orc go down. She could hear the ponderous movements of the orcs, but Haldir's own movement were light and impossible for her to feel. The only thing hinting that he was still alive and fighting were the anguished and angry screams of the orcs and they became increasingly infuriated by their imminent defeat.

Holly continued to listen closely, not moving at all, when she suddenly felt the vibrations of approaching footfalls. She stiffened as the heavy steps grew closer and closer, but did not slow as they approached her. She quickly realised that the orc did not see her and did not know she was there, but if it continued, it would surely trip over her, or worse, step right on her. She shifted the dagger in her hand so it was now facing outward and readied herself to lash out. Predictably, the orc's heavy metal boot collided with her side and Holly winced in pain. She stared into the orc's hideous black eyes as they grew wider at realising what it had stumbled upon. It let out a harsh grunt of a laugh and lunged downward, trying to take her by the throat.

Holly was panicking. She knew there was no way Haldir could help her, he was still fighting three orcs in the distance. The foul creature was impossibly heavy and she could not squirm out from beneath him. She could see his arm reaching behind him and knew he must be reaching for a weapon. Its other hand shot out and pinned her torso down at her collar with its scaly, stinking forearm. Holly's left arm was caught, completely immobile beneath the orcs enormous weight. Her other hand, the one that clasped the dagger tightly, was mercifully free.

The orc moved quickly and struck her with a blow to the face as it senses her movements. The force of the blow had Holly seeing spots and for a split second, all she could feel was searing pain above her right eye. She could see the large, dark knife in its hand, the same hand that had just struck her, and Holly resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut in fear as she quickly brought her dagger up and plunged it into the back of the orc's neck. It did not fully pierce the orc's tough hide, but it cried out in anguish and threw its head back in anger. Seeing the vulnerable spot now exposed, she brought the dagger to the orc's throat and sliced it open, feeling the hot, sticky blood spill across her chest and continue to jut out in horrifying spurts. The orc went limp and its black blood continued to seep through her clothes and onto the ground below her.

Her senses piqued, and in the distance she could hear the final thud of the last orc hitting the soft ground. Knowing they were no longer under attack but unable to move from beneath the prone mass of the dead orc, Holly called out, his name leaving her lips in a panicked, high-pitched wail, _"Haldir!"_

He came running. Suddenly with a grunt of effort, the orc's lifeless body was heaved off of her and Haldir stood above her, looking a little worse for wear, but completely unharmed. Slowly Holly curled her feet beneath her and used her shaky arms to push herself up onto her feet. Standing at full height now, she looked Haldir in the eye and gave him a wobbly, watery smile, unsure of how long she had before she lost control. His eyes were wide, scanning her haggard and blood-soaked appearance with a terror in his eyes. His hands came up to her face, wiping the orc's blood away and pushing aside her sticky, matted hair. Hot tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stood there, unable to move as she checked every inch of her for cuts, broken bones, anything that would indicate that serious harm had come to her. After a moment she found the words caught in her throat and choked them out, hoarsely,

"I'm alright." she said as he inspected large, red welt on above her eye, "Haldir, I'm alright" she repeated.

Haldir stopped and let his hands rest on her shoulders, his eyes hard and dark as they bore into hers. They softened suddenly, and Holly felt herself crushed against his chest, his arms snaking around her, holding her impossibly close to him. Holly was frozen in place, her arms pressed against her sides, but she managed to raise them up at the elbow to touch his waist. She let them rest there and pressed her cheek into the crook of his shoulder, her frightened tears flowing freely now. She could feel his heart, or perhaps it was hers, pounding between them.

It was a long moment before he finally released her from his tight embrace. Holly brought a tentative hand up to his face and wiped away a fleck of orc blood from his temple. It smeared slightly and Holly could feel her bottom lip tremble with the threat of a fresh set of tears. She pressed her lips together and knit her eyebrows and looked away from his face,

"I need to change. I need to get these clothes off of me." she said shakily. Haldir nodded and began packing up the camp silently. He still had not said a word to her, and though the battle had clearly not shaken him, he seemed troubled. He tossed her blood-soaked bedroll into the embers of the fire. It did not burn and only seemed the dampen the fire, but he did not seem to care. The horses, already saddled and disquieted by the skirmish so close to them, whinnied and neighed, kicking their hooves back, bidding the two elves to move faster.

"There is a stream not too far ahead. If we hurry, we can be there within the hour." he finally spoke. Holly only nodded and mounted Ithiell. Haldir reached out to take her by the arm and help her up and Holly gave him a small, reassuring smile. She was okay. He needed to know that she was okay. He did not seem placated by the look, however, and only mounted Bruidal swiftly, still holding Ithiell's reins in his own hands, "Can you ride on your own?"

"Yes," she snapped without thinking, "I'm covered in orc blood, I'm not crippled."

Regretting the harshness of her words she turned her head to apologise, but did not find Haldir looking angry or upset. No, his worried features had calmed and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. Holly gave him a careful smile and kicked Ithiell lightly into motion. Haldir followed but quickly marched Bruidal ahead of her, leading her to the stream.

* * *

Holly dismounted at the edge of the small stream. It was hardly enough to stand in and no wider than her own shoulders, but the cold water was welcome. She had pulled her spare clothes out of her bag and had stripped completely naked. The horses blocked her from view on either side and Haldir stood in front of Bruidal, his back to her in gentlemanly restraint the entire time. While normally his proximity to her while in this state of undress would render her embarrassed, nervous, and a little warm, Holly felt none of these things and could only scratch and scrape at her skin, trying desperately to wash away the stinking, viscous blood.

When she felt her skin was clean enough, and regretting that she hadn't packed any soap of any kind, she bent over the stream and dunked her head as far in as she could, cooling her hot skin and washing any remaining blood from her hair. The night was cold and she began to shiver as she scrubbed her scalp with both hands.

She patted her skin dry with a shirt of his that Haldir had lent her as a towel and quickly put on her fresh clothes. Feeling remarkably better but very cold, she pushed her way out from behind Bruidal to face Haldir. Noticing her shivering form beside him seemed to startle him out of what appeared to be deep thought, but he quickly came to and began unclasping his cloak from around his shoulders. He took two short strides toward her and reached out to let it fall over her shoulders, then fastened it into place. Holly wrapped it around her tightly and buried her nose in the soft folds of the material, smiling into the fabric. Haldir eyed her curiously,

"It smells like home." she offered, "I can smell the _mellyrn,_ I think I can even smell the _elanor_ ,"

Haldir only smiled silently at her, but the smile did not reach his eyes. Holly had known Haldir long enough now to recognise the expression on his face for what it was – guilt.

"I'm fine, Haldir." she stated firmly, looking him in the eye, "No worse for wear, now that I'm all cleaned up."

"I am glad of it." he said, sincerely. They were quiet for another moment and Holly could sense that he was not done speaking yet. She stood before him patiently, fidgeting with the cloak and combing her fingers through her wet hair before he spoke again, "I was glad, these last few days, that Lady Galadriel had sent me with you. When we found signs that there had been _yrch_ nearby I was glad that you had not been entrusted to another escort. But...tonight, that foul creature found you anyway."

He practically spat out the last words, his normally serious or cheeky expression clouded with guilt. Holly could see the pain in his eyes, she could see how he had trouble meeting her gaze. She reached out to his cheek and a placed a firm, cold hand there. His skin was warmed from battle, despite the cold night air. He looked at her, then, his eyes pleading with hers for forgiveness, "If it hadn't been for you," she began, "I would be dead. I don't think there is anyone alive who could fight six orcs simultaneously and live to tell the tale. You _did_ defend me. If you hadn't had the forethought to give me that dagger I'd be dead."

"You did well," he admitted, slowly regaining some of his haughty nature. "I would have gone for his side, between the ribs, had it been me."

"Yes," she admitted wryly, letting her hand drift from his cheek to his shoulder, "Probably less messy."

"Much." he responded with a dry smile. Before removing her hand from his shoulder she leaned in pulled him closer to her. He stiffened, surprised by the forwardness of her actions, but relaxed when she wrapped both her arm around his neck and pressed her cheek to his in a tight embrace. His hands drifted as if of their own accord to her sides and she felt his thumbs making small, soft circles against the fabric of her tunic. With her lips against his ear she whispered,

 _"I am well. Thanks to you, I am well."_

She released him quickly and mounted Ithiell, practically scrambling to get away from the closeness of what was their second embrace that night. Haldir did the same.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think I will find any rest tonight. Shall we make what small progress we may?"

"I feel as though you should rest, but against my better judgment I am rather in agreement," he said, "We may yet make it out of these infernal fields by this afternoon if we leave now."

"Good. Let's get out of here. I've had enough of open spaces—I'd take that cave in the mountains any day over this." she agreed. She hung her wet clothes from her saddle. They were not perfectly clean but for now it would have to do. She pulled Haldir's cloak closer around her and guided Ithiell forward with her thighs as she weaved her hair into a tight side-braid, squeezing the excess water from the sopping plait.

"We shall see how you feel about the mountains when we have to pass back through them." responded Haldir wisely. Holly rolled her eyes at him but said nothing as she let Ithiell follow Bruidal's lead.

Now sitting comfortably on Ithiell's back, Haldir's warm cloak wrapped around her, and her hair , feeling cleaner than it had in days, Holly felt finally contented, warmed by the knowledge that they were making their way out of the threatening grasslands. Still, her eyes darted around her, looking for signs of black figures, pounding boots and furious screeches in the distance.

* * *

A/N: A little action this chapter! I hope you enjoyed :) Please review! I'm never sure about writing action sequenes, so I apologize if this was not my best work lol Sorry for the delay, I was very busy last week. This week is much better, I might be able to update again, who knows!

tkhiroshi: thank you for your lovely words :) I won't spoil the fun for you :) Keep reading and you'll get the answers to all you questions! :P

Spriggan: I think you can expect some heat in either the next chapter or the following one, depending on the pacing. They are about 1 week into a 10-14 day journey, though i'll be skipping a couple days in the next chapter. I think they'll be arriving in Rivendell next chapter, if everything goes according to my plan (but you never know with these two)

HappySnappy: Aw shucks, thanks gurl.

AshleyLeigh: Here's another one for you :) Thank you again for your support! It's always super appreciated.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Holly's smile grew wider as she saw trees on the horizon. She resisted the urge to kick Ithiell into a gallop lest Haldir chastise her for her recklessness later. Instead, she turned to look at the elf beside her and saw that he had also broken into a happy grin. It was growing dark and the sun was low on the horizon, shinning blindingly from the west. They had been riding all day, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. In fact, they'd been riding for the last three days. They had made good time after the orc attack, making their way up the plains of Dunland, following the sound of the roaring Bruinen. Haldir had been telling her tales of Eregion, the ancient elven-home of the Noldorin elves. He told her of how Galadriel had settled there before crossing the Misty Mountains and founding Lothlórien.

* * *

 _"Do you know where we are?" Haldir asked her, a playful expression on his face. They were stopped underneath a tree in a small, wooded area. She would not call it a 'wood' per se, but it was wooded. The trees were all the same, densely packed with thick, dark green leaves. The trees themselves were not tall, nor broad like the mellyrn or even an oak tree. They were small and their trunks were wound around each other and knotted. They were entering a small grove of trees. At the centre of the grove was a worn dirt pit, likely used regularly for fires, surrounded by several stones and logs. No doubt a popular leisure spot, she thought._

 _"I haven't the foggiest idea, Haldir." she said indulgently, waiting for him to tell her where they were. Haldir looked positively delighted at the idea of getting to inform her of their whereabouts. He hopped off Bruidal's back and helped Holly down from Ithiell. As he unfastened his pack from Bruidal's saddle, he explained,_

 _"We are in Eregion, or Hollin, as the mortals here call it now." he replied, not looking at her directly, but unpacking their lunch – lembas and dried fruit, yet again. Holly uncorked her waterskin and brought it to her lips, savouring the cool, sweet water they had collected from the banks of the Bruinen earlier that morning._

 _"And where, pray tell, is that? Why is this important?" she asked, handing him the open waterskin. He exchanged it from her ration of lunch and plopped himself down on the ground, not bothering with the boulders or logs. Holly followed suit and sat down beside him, crossing her legs._

 _"Eregion means 'Land of the Holly' in Sindarin. Did you not recognise the trees?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes- even when being thoughtful he always managed to find a way of being arrogant._

 _"Why, no, Haldir. I had not noticed. I am regretfully poorly-versed in the appearance and location of every single species of plant and tree in Arda. I shall endeavour to improve." she responded sarcastically. Haldir snorted under his breath and took a small bit of Lembas. Holly chewed her dried apricots and looked around her. The grove was cheerful and pretty, a pleasant reprieve from the open plains. "It's very pretty. I like it here."_

 _"Perhaps you were named for it? Do you know where your parents hailed from originally?" he asked. Holly shook her head,_

 _"No, I only know that they departed from Rivendell. I do not even know if they were born in Middle-Earth or Valinor"_

 _Haldir nodded, "I suppose you shall find out, if you wish you, when were arrive in Imladris."_

 _Holly inclined her head silently, not responding. She was not entirely sure how much she really wanted to know about her origins, but sitting beneath the Holly trees she could not help but wonder if her parents had sat there. She envisioned two dark-haired elves, sitting beneath the boughs of the Holly trees, the elleth heavily pregnant. She saw them clearly in her mind, conversing in the evening air, speaking softly to one another, whispering quiet words in Sindarin or Quenya or she knew not what. She imagined her mother, beautiful and tall like Heather, gesturing to the trees around them, willing her husband to name their child 'Ercassiel' – Holly._

 _She shook her head slightly with a sigh. Haldir caught her eye, then, and gave her a questioning look,_

 _"Where did you go?" he asked quietly. He felt suddenly unsure if bringing her there had been a good idea. She had seemed pleased at first, but now...sad, somehow. His eyes implored hers. She gave him a small smile,_

 _"Daydreaming." she answered, "I imagined my parents here, naming me before I was born. Naming me after this grove."_

 _"Perhaps they did." he said quietly, giving her a hopeful smile. She loved the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled like that. They were the only part of his face that gave away his many years. She could see the eons in his eyes, in their typical seriousness, in their hardness. But when he laughed or smiled, she could see nothing but mirth and even affection. She returned his smile,_

 _"Thank you for taking me here, it's very cute." she said. Haldir laughed, pushing himself up from his reclined position to sit up, crossing his legs in a similar fashion to how Holly was sitting._

 _"Cute? I do not think that was the intention, but I am pleased that you like it." he responded. Holly wrinkled her nose,_

 _"No, not cute like a baby animal or something like that...cute like...it was very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it. You're always showing me such wonderful things." she said, blushing slightly. Haldir returned her smile and bowed his head at her. His hair fell from behind his shoulders, a strand or two coming loose in front of his face._

 _Instinctively, Holly leaned in and reached out, tucking it behind his ear, her fingers lightly grazing the pointed tip of his ear as she moved the wayward strands. She felt Haldir stiffen beneath her touch and her hand froze, hovering behind his ear. He was staring her down now, his expression open and his eyes asking a million questions. She wanted to look away, to move her hand, but she didn't. Something in his eyes told her not to move. She didn't._

 _His hand was on her thigh, just above her knee. His other hand flew to her face and cupped her cheek, his thumb grazing her bottom lip as his fingers buried themselves in her hair. The hand that was frozen behind his ear was now at the back of his head, holding his face close to hers. Boldly, she brought her eyes to meet his and did not look away._

 _"Holly..." he mouthed, almost wordlessly, as if to say something to end their contact. Holly squeezed her eyes shut and let her forehead connect with his, their noses touching softly._

 _"Do it." she whispered against his lips. As the words formed, her lips grazed his and sparked with their touch. The words had barely escaped before she felt the soft press of Haldir's lips on hers. His mouth was warm and tasted of the sweet fruit and fresh water. Holly allowed her lips to part slightly, using the hand at the back of his head to deepen their kiss. As though encouraged by this, Haldir shift so that he was on his knees and drew her up with him, pressing her against his chest as the hand that was on her leg moved to roam her back, eliminating any empty space between them. Holly threw her other arm around his neck. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his tongue lick at her bottom lip, willing hers to meet it. His kiss was demanding but soft – firm but sweet._

 _This was nothing like the passion-filled kiss of that night at Elenalcar. This was not fuelled by wine or desire. It was not a heady embrace against the trunk of a mallorn tree, too fast and too real to handle. This was calculated, thoughtful – exploratory. They guaged each other's reactions, responded to each other's movements. They were leaning in an out, following each other to see where they would go. This was different and she felt it. Slightly out of breath, Holly finally pulled herself away, but only to rest her head underneath Haldir's chin, on hand on his chest and another still entwined in his hear. She could hear his heart beating a tattoo in his chest, sure this time that it was his, though she was sure hers pounded also._

 _Haldir's arms were still around her and neither spoke for a while. Holly rubbed small circles against the back of his neck. Haldir took her hand from his chest and pressed her fingertips to his lips. Holly could feel his hot breath against them and resisted the urge to pull his head back down for another round. Instead, she looked up at him,_

 _"My knees hurt." she said simply, giving him a joking smile. He relaxed quickly, his deep, easy laugh filling her ears. He stood slowly, taking her hands and pulling her up with him. He did not let her go right away, but kissed the top of her head and held her close for a moment,_

 _"This was not my intention in bringing you here," he said with a light laugh. Holly, suddenly fearful that once again, he had kissed her against his better judgment, made to pull away and apologise, but found herself pressed firmly against him, unable to move, "But...I must admit it was a pleasant surprise."_

 _It was Holly's turn to laugh. She let out a small sigh of relief, "I've been wanting to do that since the last time we did that."_

 _The admittance came easily to her now. Their months as friends and weeks as travelling companions had altered their relationship somewhat. Then, of course, there was the tongue-loosening (no pun intended) effects of a proper kiss. Haldir bent his head down and surprised her with another firm, but quick kiss to her mouth._

 _"Me too." he said with a rascal smile. Holly couldn't help but beam back up at him, enjoying the way his tone had changed to playful and his eyes began to sparkle. She wondered if she looked much the same to him in this new, but familiar light._

* * *

Holly breathed in the damp, mossy air of the forest.

 _Green._ Green was the smell.

They had made it into the wood just as the sun was dipping below the horizon. She was glad for the comforting cover of the trees, their thick branches and dense foliage shielding them from view.

"Should we stop here?" she asked Haldir curiously. He shook his head,

"No, we may continue a little while longer until the light is gone. We are very close to Imladris now, we should arrive before nightfall tomorrow. These woods are closely guarded, we may even run into other elves before we reach the gates of the Rivendell." he responded, his expression finally easing after days of watchfulness. The orc attack was heavy on his mind, she could see it. He had not quite forgiven himself for what had happened, though Holly had told him a thousand times that it had not been his fault. He knew this, but he could not help but feel responsible. The sheer terror that had ripped through his soul at watching her writhe beneath that _thing_ still clawed at his mind. He felt the fear of losing her in his fëa, in his heart. He looked over at her now, her face shadowed by the light of the setting sun, casting a pale glow on her skin. She had let her hair loose along her back, the way she knew he liked it. She was still clad in the weather-worn travelling clothes, her face streaked with light smudges of dirt, bits of twig and leaf in her hair. Somehow, despite how very _elven_ she had grown, she still retained a distinctly human quality – a whirlwind wildness he could not put his finger on. He could not suppress the smile that grew on his lips,

"What?" she asked, gracing him with her own small smile. Haldir bowed his head and gave it a light, self-depricating shake,

"Nothing – I was only thinking of what a fool I was for dreading this journey." he said with a laugh.

"Perhaps you were being wise. I don't think this is what Lady Galadriel had in mind when she sent you with me." Holly chastised, but only in jest, knowing full well she was just as responsible as he, perhaps even more so. Haldir laughed harder and quirked one of his infamous eyebrows at her,

"No? I forget that you have not long been with us. This may well have been _exactly_ what the Lady intended." he responded dryly. Holly said nothing but chewed at her bottom lip in thought as she nudged Ithiell forward to follow Bruidal. They walked a little longer in silence until the light was nearly entirely gone, slowly being replaced by the shimmering, silver light of the moon overhead. Haldir paused for a moment as though in thought, then dismounted his steed. Waiting for his nod, as was their habit, Holly then followed suit.

"This is as good a spot as any, I think." he said, collecting branches and twigs from the surrounding area to build a fire.

"We can have a fire tonight?" she asked eagerly. It had been growing colder and colder during the nights. Since the loss of her bedroll, she had returned Haldir's cloak to him as she used his bedroll at his insistence. Haldir nodded his head in affirmation,

"Yes, I think we can risk it. Like I said, it's quite safe here. We are withing the patrol borders of Lord Elrond's scouts. Besides, in the woods, we are more likely to hear our foe approaching." he continued to build the fire and Holly made to set out her bedroll and lay out his cloak. She was going to lay it out on the opposite end of the fire, but decided against it, and laid it out only two feet or so from her own. She smiled contentedly and sat down, pulling out the last of their rations and portioning it out to make a veritable feast for both of them, compared to how much they had been eating recently. Haldir finished the fire and was stoking it lightly with a long stick when he came to sit beside her.

 _Not close enough,_ Holly lamented to herself as she noticed that at this distance they could not touch, not even by accident. She wanted desperately to kiss him again, to initiate contact, but found herself suddenly bizarrely shy at the prospect.

"All this?" he asked cautiously, gesturing to the food before them. Holly nodded,

"You said we'd arrive tomorrow...I set aside a little for breakfast but other than that, I doubt we'll need all this. How do you fancy a proper binge?" she asked, her lips forming a wicked smile. Haldir let out a light chuckle,

"Well, in that case..." he began, then started to rummage in his pack, procuring the small, familiar, flask, "A little of this?"

This time Holly was not afraid or apprehensive. She took the flask eagerly and took a small sip before handing it back to him. The miruvor was sweet, floral, warm and delicious in her mouth. She let her eyelids flutter shut and she leaned back on her elbows, relishing the warmth that seemed to spread through her limbs. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at the moon, peeking through the leaves of the treetops above. She had missed this.

As she opened her eyes, she was no longer looking up at the treetops, but into deep, blue orbs. Her face broke into a grin and he smiled back at her, slowly. He inched his face closer and closer until he was hovering a hair's breadth above her, their noses touching lightly. She made no demands this time, but waited for him to move first. Noticing this, the corners of his mouth turned up lightly and he muttered, his lips lightly touching hers,

"Not so brazen this time, hmm?", he pressed his lips against hers lightly. She allowed her lips to part slightly, granting him entry. He deepened the kiss ever so slightly, bringing his hand up to graze her cheek. Holly sighed against his mouth as he pulled away.

"This must be inappropriate." she whispered jokingly.

"How many times must I tell you that elves are not so tightly-wound as mortals may think?" he asked, chiding her for her misconception. "Besides, I thought you said things were very different where you came from?"

Holly couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, well, where I come from there would be a good chance that we would just strip and do it in the woods right now."

Haldir nearly choked on his second sip of miruvor. Holly let out a muffled guffaw and slapped her hand over her mouth. Haldir recovered quickly, wiping the last drip of miruvor from his chin with the back of his hand,

"If you are game..." he began, but could not finish his thought as Holly had yanked off her boots and lobbed one at his head. Thankfully her aim was rather poor and he dodged it easily, but not before raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Such violence from such a lady."

Holly snorted, "Hardly a lady. I was entirely ordinary back home, I assure you."

"Not ordinary." Haldir said, with a soft expression. Holly returned the look and made herself comfortable on her bedroll. She was beginning to grow tired and the miruvor had had the desired effect of lulling her into a peaceful mood. Haldir made to lay down on his cloak but Holly threw out her arm and stopped him. He looked at her questioningly,

"We could share." she said simply. Haldir's face was unreadable so she continued, "It would be more comfortable...we don't have to do anything...just to sleep?"

She regretted the words instantly, not afraid that he would think her forward, just afraid that he would think it too fast. To her surprise, however, he picked up his cloak and shook it out over the fire, which crackled and spat as the small bits of leaves and branches were burned up. He lay down beside her and threw the cloak over him, raising his arm above his head so she could fit against his shoulder. Holly looked up at his face and smiled before snuggling into his chest. One arm snaked around her shoulders and rested on her arm while the other adjusted the cloak so they were both as covered as possible.

"Goodnight," she said. She felt Haldir drop a soft kiss on her forehead before leaning back against her pack, his breathing slowing to an easy pace,

 _"Goodnight."_ he responded in quiet Sindarin. Holly felt her eyes glaze over as she drifted into a deep, comfortable sleep.

* * *

When Holly woke, she was warm and curled up tightly in Haldir's cloak. The elf in question, however, was bustling about their camp, brushing the horses and packing their things.

"It's about time." he chastised, pulling the cloak off her quickly, letting out all the warmth and subsequently letting in all the cool, morning air. Holly grumbled,

"Jerk." she said, before stretching herself out like a cat. Her joints didn't seem to crack anymore, like they used to, not doubt an added benefit to her new immortal body. Haldir ignored her comment and offered her a piece of _lembas._ She took it and began munching quietly. They would arrive in Imladris today, he had said, definitely before nightfall if not earlier. Holly trusted Haldir's word, for her had made the journey countless times before and knew their path well. Holly imagined the baths, the soaps, the change of clothes that awaited her there and nearly whooped aloud with joy and anticipation. Haldir noticed her expression,

"What are you so cheerful about?" he asked. Holly grinned up at him from her bedroll. He gestured for her to get up and then he rolled it up, fastening it closed with the loops of leather that held it together.

"A bath! Clean clothes! Foods that vary! A real bed! I could go on." she said, patting Ithiell on the nose and wishing her a good morning. Haldir sighed,

"Yes. But we shall never get there if we do not leave. Come, check Ithiell and then we will be off." he said in his usual, day-time, no-nonsense way. This would have frustrated Holly months ago, but she was now quite used to Haldir's multiple personalities. It was clear that this morning he was in 'Marchwarden' mood, and gone was the playful, romantic Haldir from the night before. Still, each of his personalities had their merit, and Holly appreciated his directness. She, too, was eager to arrive, and wanted to get going as soon as possible.

"Off we go then!" she said, mounting Ithiell who also seemed to sense that there was a nice stable and piles and piles of fresh hay waiting for her at the end of the day. Haldir hopped gracefully onto Bruidal's back and the two set off, into the forest. They did not follow the path directly, but kept it within their sights. Haldir had insisted on this since the orc attack and he was not taking any chances. They would go less noticed if they stayed off the road, and besides, their presence would be known as soon as they approached the valley in which Rivendell lay. Haldir said they would be unlikely to make it very close to the valley without being noticed by their kindred who would undoubtedly be on patrol or guarding the Last Homely House from the treetops.

They travelled in companionable silence for most of the day. It was a sunny day, but the air felt cold and cool as they approached the mountain range. Holly had not noticed right away, but they had gained altitude over the last few days. The nights and morning had been quite cool and Holly had been very grateful for Haldir's warm presence the night before. They had not spoken of it since, but she could see that despite his apparent hurried mood, he was well-rested and much calmer than he had been in days.

They had not yet discussed what this was, what they were doing, or where it was going. Holly sensed that this conversation was forthcoming, but that it was meant for another time. Perhaps when they were comfortable in Imladris and less presently concerned with arriving safely. For the moment, Holly was content to enjoy stolen kisses and nighttime cuddles – the serious talk could wait for later.

The sun was high in the sky when she noticed Haldir smiling. She turned to him and he slowly raised a finger to his lips – _quiet,_ it said. Holly gave him a questioning look but did not make a sound. Haldir did not move, but continued to guide Bruidal forward, motioning for Holly to do the same. Suddenly he spoke, loudly and clearly,

 _"Better luck next time, sons of Elrond!"_

Holly stopped Ithiell in her tracks and looked around her as two elves seemed to drop from the sky and land softly in front of them. They were nearly identical in appearance – tall and broad like Haldir, but with long, dark hair, like her own. Their eyes were a pale, sparking grey and their smiles were wide as they laughed out loud. They were clad in grey-blue travelling clothes, dressed very much alike but not quite the same. One had black boots and a charcoal-coloured cloak, and the other had brown boots and light grey cloak. Otherwise, they were nearly impossible to tell apart. The black-booted one spoke first,

 _"Tell me, Marchwarden, how in Arda did you know we were there?"_

Haldir hopped off of Bruidal and clasped each of the elves by the arm and yanked them into a friendly hug. They returned his embrace happily, patting him on the back, " _Who else would leave two nearly identical sets of tracks, with nearly identical gaits?"_

The brown-booted one spoke next, _"That's impossible! That could have been anyone! How did you know it was us, don't lie!"_

 _"No – it's true, I did not know that it was you, precisely. But this morning, while you probably still thought I was asleep, I heard one of you say, 'Let's hide his boots' and another say 'No, father would be cross'."_ Haldir responded. One of the twins punched the other in the arm,

 _"Why are you always so loud?"_ he demanded of his brother. The other shrugged,

 _"It seemed like a good opportunity."_ he said, pressing his lips together and raising his shoulders innocently, _"I was going to do it until I noticed you were not alone."_

Holly stirred from her observation of the three elves and smiled at the twins in front of her, _"Hello..."_ she began quietly and then coughed lightly, finding her voice, _"I'm Holly."_

She brought her hand to her chest and bowed her head as was customary of the elves of Lórien. They returned the gesture and smiled at her,

 _"Welcome, Holly. We are Elladan and Elrohir, lords of Imladris. Lord Elrond is our father. We have been expecting you."_ said the brown-booted one.

 _"Which one of you is which?"_ she asked, trying to suss out the differences between them. It was Haldir who answered,

 _"You are speaking to Elladan. That-"_ he said, pointing at the other twin, _"is Elrohir. It will likely take you some time to tell them apart, but thankfully they have long since grown out of dressing the same and pretending they are the other."_

 _"You ruined the joke!"_ Elladan exclaimed. _"Why would I want anyone to think I was Elrohir, at any rate. No matter. Father is expecting you. You can follow the path from here, we will escort you into the valley."_

The other twin, Elrohir, rolled his eyes at his brother's remark, but smiled and took Ithiell's reigns, guiding the horse toward the path. Holly and Haldir followed, chatting idly with the twins as they made their way to Imladris.

* * *

A/N: Here is a new update for you :) Unfortunately the next chapter will have to wait a little while as I am going away on vacation for 2 and half weeks, and won't be able to write. Hopefully this gave you enough to go on for now – I know some of you had been waiting for this for a while :) I hope it was everything you expected it to be!

AshleyLeigh: yes, I'm not a huge fan of the heroine that can't fend for herself, but I'm also not a huge fan of the heroine that jumps into battle despite have zero skill and somehow slays 6 orcs. I tried to strike a balance, I wanted Holly to save herself, but in a way where she basically got lucky. I'm happy you enjoyed it :)

Tkhiroshi: Who knows what his plans are :) No doubt Haldir has a lot to do in Lothlórien, but maybe something will make him stay... ;)

Spriggan: I agree, she is gente :) But not useless! Her skills lie elsewhere than in battle, however. I don't think we will see Holly fight any orcs for a while :P

Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, etc. See you in 2 weeks :)


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Imladris was so incredibly different from Lothlórien. The forest radiated a deep, wild power, much like its mistress. The valley in which Imladris was held was calm, soothing and serene. It felt old and wise, and though Holly had not yet met Lord Elrond, she suspected he would feel much the same. They had followed the sons of Elrond down the path for a short while and up to the gates. Unlike Caras Galadhon, which housed hundreds of elves of Lórien, Imladris was small with only a few permanent inhabitants. There were no guards posted at the gates, though Haldir hinted that he had seen their patrols up in the trees before they reached the valley. As they made their way in, Elladan and Elrohir told her of some of the highly-sought after wares of Imladris- their father's herbs and healing tonics, their elven-forged steel products and their leather goods.

Indeed, Holly was admiring the quality of the hand-embossed pattern on Elladan's boots when she tripped on a loose stone and fell flat on her face with un-elven grace. Holly threw her hands out in front of her and managed to avoid total collision with the roughly-hewn stone slabs. The skin of the soft palms of her hands stung painfully as it scraped against the stone. Haldir was at her side in a flash, kneeling to gently lift her off the ground. Holly groaned loudly and wiped her palms on her tunic. Haldir could not feign serious concern for very long and his face broke into a smile.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked him incredulously. Haldir screwed his mouth up slightly, trying to wipe the smirk off his face, but to no avail. Elladan was already snickering at her other side and Elrohir was chastising him.

"I don't think I've ever seen a sober elf trip." Haldir said with a laugh, getting to his feet and extending a hand down to her to ease her up. Holly scowled at him before examining her palms for any serious damage. Nothing too bad – just a little scrape, though they were bleeding ever so slightly. She considered wiping her palms on her breeches, but when she noticed the mud, grass and dirt stains, she thought again.

"Yet another residual human tendency, I suppose. Though, I don't remember being this clumsy in my past life...but maybe I'm remembering it wrong." she muttered under her breath. Haldir chuckled and the twins looked at her with an odd expression.

Perhaps she was wrong in doing so, but she had assumed that Lady Galadriel had informed Elrond of her past (it was, after all, one of the primary reasons for her visit), and by consequence, the sons of Elrond had been informed. Judging by their puzzled expressions, however, she guessed not. Holly released an awkward cough,

"Ehm, it's a long story. One I'd be happy to tell, but perhaps after a bath...some clean clothes, maybe a full night's sleep on a bed that doesn't smell like horse?"

Elladan (she thought, by his attire), looked amused but bowed his head obligingly, "Of course. I would not dream of pestering you with questions before all of your needs have been attended to." Holly smiled at him gratefully, "In fact, I shall lead you to your rooms immediately."

They made their way down the hallway. It was flanked on the one side by a stone banister that ran the length of the hall. On the other, there was several doors, most shut, and a pleasant smattering of décor such as potted plants, carved wooden benches and beautiful earthenware vases. The twins informed her that their mother, the Lady Celebrian, enjoyed pottery and had made most of the vases and pots in the public areas of Imladris herself. Some of her early, less skillful work, could also still be found in their family chambers, out of general view.

"Well, her dedication to her craft is to be commended. I look forward to meeting her." Holly offered, stopping to admire a pretty blue vase, glazed in white, with lovely, ornate handles on either side. Elrohir's eyes darkened perceptibly and his expression grew cold,

"Unfortunately that will not be possible. She is no longer with us." he said. Holly felt immediately saddened by this information. _How horrible!_ She knew how the elves dealt with death and passing – an occurrence that was very rare among their kind. Elladan then reached his arm out and smacked his brother with a loud 'thwack!'. Elrohir scowled at him and rubbed his arm vigorously.

"What my very melodramatic brother _means_ is that she has sailed to the Undying Lands. She is no longer _here,_ but we look forward to seeing her _there._ " he supplied. Holly was relieved. Elladan shot his brother another glare, " _Idiot."_

"Well, I'm glad to hear she is alright." Holly said, averting her gaze awkwardly. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to see Haldir, who had come up beside her.

"'Alright' is perhaps not the right word – she was attacked by orcs on one of her many journeys to and from Lothlorien. Elrond did his best to save her, but her fea was deeply scarred. The decision was made that she would await her family in Valinor."

Holly grimaced at the thought of an orc attack so ferocious that it had scarred her fea. She recalled, briefly, her own close encounter with an orc and shivered at the memory of its stinking hands on her skin and its thick, slick blood on her face. Haldir's grip on her shoulder tightened momentarily,

"We were come upon by orcs on our way here. Holly was attacked but mercifully unharmed." he said, keeping the tale short and without embellishment or description, addressing the twins. They looked at her sympathetically,

"Then you understand her decision to sail. Only the presence of the Vala could dispell the dark shadow that hung over her." Elrohir answered. Holly only nodded and followed as he gestured for them to continue down the hall. "We are nearly there then we shall leave you to rest. You may join us for dinner in the dining hall this evening, or you may request your meal in your rooms, if you prefer. A maid has been assigned to your chambers, you may see her with any requests you may have."

"If you do decide to come to dinner, however, we often retire to the Hall of Fire for tales and song. If you're lucky, father will share his Dorwinion wine with his honoured guests." Elladan added with a wink. Holly shook her head vigorously,

"Oh, no, no, no _thank you._ I have had my experiences with Dorwinion wine and I think I will pass on that offer."

Elladan gestured to her room and opened the door. Holly stood in the doorway, overseeing the room when Haldir chuckled behind her, "Now, now, _Ercassiel._ It hasn't all been bad."

Holly turned to face him and rolled her eyes, "Don't call me that."

She then two two steps backward, into her room, and shut the heavy wooden door with a 'thud'.

* * *

Water. Warm, soapy, clean water. This is what Heaven felt like (or the Halls of Mandos, she thought). Holly dunked her head under the water and scrubbed her scalp raw, trying to wash out every twig and leaf and speck of dirt and orc blood she could imagine clinging to her tired skin. When she had entered her room she had found a steaming bath and a very comfortable looking bed with the corner turned down. Nothing had ever seemed more inviting in her entire, bizarre life. She had immediately stripped down and hopped into the bath. That had been approximately one hour ago and she showed no signs of exiting any time soon.

But, eventually, the water grew cold. Holly wrapped a soft linen towel around herself and stepped out of the bath. She went to her pack and began pulling out her various pieces of clothing. She left her dirty clothes on a chair by the door – she would have to remember to ask about laundry and if there was some way to have the clothes cleaned during her stay. Her selection of clean clothes was limited – she still had one pair of soft leather breeches and two clean tunics, but she also had the simple, green dress she had been given upon her arrival to Lothlorien. _Perfect._ It smelled slightly of the road, but she donned it anyway, thankful to have something that reminded her of home.

She shook out the dress to straighten some of the wrinkles in the fabric. She heard a small clatter as something fell out of one of the deep pockets and onto the polished flagstone floor. Holly heard it roll under the bed and out of sight. With an exasperated sigh, she thought about leaving it there and fetching it in the morning, but couldn't help but wonder if it was something interesting or important. She got down on her knees and reached under the bed. Her hand clasped a small glass vial, thankfully unbroken. It was her bottle of scented oil! She pulled out the stopper and poured a small amount of the precious liquid into her palm. She re-corked the bottle and set it down on her bedside table before rubbing her palms together and then spreading the rich elixir on her arms and legs and chest.

Two minutes later, she was laying face-down on top of the covers of her bed, very nearly asleep. She almost didn't want to fall asleep, wishing she could enjoy the feeling of complete, clean, comfort for the first time in weeks. Her thoughts drifted to Haldir and what he was doing at this very moment. She imagined that he was far less disheveled than she, probably re-fletching his arrows or sharpening his knives. He had probably unpacked and bathed in ten minutes and was now making his way over here right now...probably to force to her to get dressed and go to dinner.

Holly heard a knock on the door and groaned.

"You have got to be kidding me." she mumbled as she pried herself from her bed and padded over to the doorway. She yanked the heavy door open and was, surprise, surprise, greeted by Haldir's smug expression,

"You know I have absolutely no sense of humor." he said with an enormous smile, before pushing past her and entering her room.

"Who said you could come in here?" she asked jokingly. Haldir ignored her comment and began opening drawers and cupboards. "Are you looking for something?"

"The handmaid said you had not yet dressed for dinner so I wondered if you simply hadn't found the clothes that had been left for you." he said simply, opening the doors to an armoire at the end of the room that seemed to contain several gowns and sets of slippers.

"No, Haldir, please! I just want to go to bed!" she pleaded with a whine. Haldir rolled his eyes at her.

"You must greet our host. Lord Elrond will be expecting you at dinner." he said, flipping through the dresses, "You always looked good in this colour, I seem to remember you having a similar gown in Lorien."

He proffered the lavender-coloured gown toward her and she took it with a dejected sigh. Even the thought of their kiss at Elenalcar could not shake her deep-seeded sadness at not being allowed to go to bed straight away. "Turn around."

Haldir obliged and turned toward the small bookshelf in the corner of the room and began scanning the titles. Holly shirked her green dress and laid it out on the bed, hoping dinner would be done early and she could put it back on shortly. She stepped into the lavender dress. The material was soft and thin, almost gauzy, and not unlike the preferred styles in Lorien. All in all, she liked the dress and hoped the others in the armoire would be equally successful. "I'm done."

Haldir turned around and smiled at her, taking two long strides in her direction. He stood in front of her and fingered her damp hair. "Not quite,"

He pushed her back from her shoulders and reached behind him to take the linen towel off the hook by the now-cold bath. He wrapped it around the ends of her hair and began squeezing out the excess water. She could see now that his hair was slightly damp, too, and his clothes were different. He was no longer wearing the practical travelling clothes he had arrived in, but a tunic of deep, dark blue and a pair of grey breeches and tall boots. "Were these left for you, too?"

He nodded, "Yes. Not my usual colours, I must say, but these Noldorin elves do favour their dark colours. You will do Lorien proud tonight, this looks like a design from the Golden Wood."

He tossed the linen towel to the floor and ran his fingers through her hair. It was drier now and Holly stepped away from him to find the comb she had seen on the dresser. She lowered her gaze to hide the creeping flush that was making its way up to her cheeks. The thought of doing Lady Galadriel and Lothlorien proud, even just by wearing a dress in the style of _her_ people made her happy in a way she could not quite explain. Still, she saw similarities between herself and the elves of Imladris. Most notably, apart from Haldir, she had yet to see any blonde elves, even amongst those she had only seen from afar. They were all dark-haired, like her.

Holly pushed aside thoughts and worries about her heritage and the knowledge she may uncover during her stay and occupied herself with braiding her hair out of her face in a way that would look somewhat presentable. Struggling to weave one of the smaller braids into a larger one at the back of her head, she felt Haldir come up behind her and then felt his hands on hers, stopping their clumsy movements. "I'll do that."

"You don't have to..." she said quietly, trying not to think about his warm breath on her neck as he spoke.

"I know." he said, before beginning his task.

* * *

"It's not too late, is it?" Holly begged. "I'm so _tired._ "

Haldir had a firm grip on her hand, which was lodged in the crook of his arm. They were making their way down the hall and toward the dining hall. Haldir had a good memory for Imladris' complicated and winding halls, it seemed, as he needed no guidance whatsoever in finding their destination. "Do not whine, we must make an appearance. Besides, I am not even tired."

"Yes, but you're an elf." Holly quipped. Haldir tilted his head down toward her and rolled his eyes,

"You cannot choose when you are an elf and when you are not." Haldir answered. They were rounding the corner and Holly could see the grand, wide archway that opened up to the dining hall. She could hear the dull chatter of hushed voices. The hall was vast – it had no walls on three sides, only a low wall that allowed for open views of the valley below. The great wooden table was set at the back of the room. At the centre of the table sat a tall, dark-haired elf. His face was lined ever so slightly, lending a look of wisdom to his ageless face. Beside him to his right were the jovial twins with which Holly was familiar, and to his left was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Her skin was luminescent and her long, dark hair cascaded in soft waves over her shoulders. There was small, silver circlet on her brow, indicating her status. This was Arwen Undomiel, the Evenstar of the elven people.

Haldir led them to the table where they were seated across from Lord Elrond as the guests of honour. Holly took her seat and whispered her thanks to Haldir as he held out her chair. She turned to face the imposing Lord of Rivendell who was looking at her expectantly,

"Welcome, _Ercassiel,_ Haldir, to Imladris." he said genially, his hands spread in front of him in welcome. Holly bowed her head and placed her hand to heart in the elvish style. Haldir did the same.

"Our thanks, my lord." Haldir spoke. Elrond nodded and poured them each a glass of wine.

"I trust that everything has been to your satisfaction? I promise, we shall not keep you long, you are undoubtedly wearied from your journey." He shot a wink in Holly's direction. Holly smiled appreciatively but remained silent, taking a small sip of her wine. The food laid in front of them was similar to what was typically served in Lothlorien. A spread of fruits, light meats and leafy greens and nuts was available and Holly helped herself to a small plateful.

They made small talk with the twins for a few moments, with Lord Elrond interjecting here and there to add comments or ask questions. They discussed, briefly, her training with Nestarion. Lord Elrond seemed happy with her progress so far and was confident that she would return to Lorien with improved skills and expanded knowledge. During a slight lull in the conversation, Holly focused on her food, enjoying the simple flavours and the taste of something that was not lembas or dried fruit. As if reading her mind, Arwen spoke for the first time,

"I imagine that this makes a pleasant change from lembas." she offered with a shy smile. Holly swallowed her mouthful and nodded vigorously,

"You have no idea. I've been craving something fresh for weeks."

Arwen laughed a silvery laugh and smiled, "A nice cup of wine certainly helps, doesn't it?"

Holly and Haldir clinked their cups together in agreement, prompting a toast from Lord Elrond. The attendants were clearing away the plates, indicating the end of the meal,

"Friends, let us bid welcome to our kin from Lothlorien," he announced, raising his glass in their direction. The other elves around the table raised theirs as well, speaking the word 'Welcome!' before downing the contents of their goblets. Haldir stood and spoke his thanks, as well,

"You have our thanks, Lord Elrond. The hospitality of the Last Homely House is unparalleled."

Elrond bowed his head and then turned his gaze toward Holly, "Perhaps tomorrow we may begin your training? The Lady Galadriel did not indicate the duration of your stay in her letters, but I imagine she will want one of her best healers and her Marchwarden returned to her as soon as possible."

"I would like that, thank you, Lord Elrond. I am eager to learn from you – the Lady has spoken to me many times of your great knowledge. It is a privilege to be under your tutelage."

Holly struggled not to exhale in relief. She had been worried that she would say the wrong thing in front of the great Elf Lord, or that the first time he spoke to her she would put her foot in her mouth. She'd gone over this line about a million times in her head, and though it came out rather rehearsed, it came out clearly. But it seemed as though she _had_ said the right thing, for she felt a gentle squeeze from Haldir on her knee, and a pleasant, polite look from Lord Elrond.

"Excellent, it is set then. I shall leave you to retire to your chambers, we shall begin after the morning meal tomorrow."

With a bow to his guests, Lord Elrond left the dining hall, the twins and Arwen following him after speaking their own polite goodbyes. Slowly, the other elves in the room began to filtre out. After a moment, so as not to be the last ones in the room, but not the first to leave, either, Haldir got to his feet and extended his arm to Holly. She took it and they left the dining hall together, making their way back to the guest chambers.

"You can breathe, now." Haldir whispered jokingly into her ear. Holly swatted at his arm,

"You know, back home, I was an entirely ordinary person who had never met anyone of consequence in her life. Here, I have met the ruling lords and ladies of not one, but two separate realms, I am cavorting with the Marchwarden of one, and I think it is very likely that I shall meet more individuals of importance before my time on Arda is complete." she responded, a little in awe of the entire situation herself.

"Cavorting, are we?" Haldir asked, his trademark eyebrow raised in amusement. Holly resisted the urge to blush and avert her gaze,

"Oh, Haldir, I am far too exhausted to have this conversation now." she said, wanting to avoid the subject altogether for the moment. Not quite ready for him to tell her that he was simply having a bit of fun with his friend and travel companion – or even more frightening a prospect, that he was quite serious about her. As if sensing her discomfort, Haldir patted her arm.

"Do not fret. Besides, if you think meeting Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel was stress-inducing, wait until you sail to the Undying Lands and meet the Valar."

Holly nearly lost her footing for the second time that day.

* * *

A/N: OK! So, first off, I am VERY sorry for the wait. My vacation was wonderful, but I have to say that is was pretty hard to get back into writing when I got back. There was a lot to catch up on with work and my weekends were packed (it was Canadian Thanksgiving last weekend here, so I had no time to write at all!) I intend to get back to my usual weekly chapter situation starting now, so that shouldn't be a problem in the future.

To everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited my story, thank you very much! I hope this chapter was satisfactory. I feel like our characters needed a little break so I decided to write a fun little set-up/filler chapter before we get back into the main story line. As you can see, we have a few interesting discussions coming up – what exactly is going on between Holly and Haldir? Will Holly discover more about her parents? How will her healer training go? All your questions will be answered in time, my friends!


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Holly knew she had just about narrowly dodged a conversation about where their 'relationship' was going. Haldir had let the subject drop, she knew this, but he was stubborn and forward and he would bring it up again, she was certain. It was now morning and she was laying in bed, enjoying the warm rays of sun that streamed through her open window. She had slept fitfully, nervous for her first day of training with Lord Elrond, but also unused to the eerie silence of Imladris at night. There was no sound of the rustling of leaves in the wind, or the the soft pitter-patter of squirrels and other woodland creatures. The elves attracted many animals to their presence and Lothlorien was always filled with the murmuring sounds of wildlife. In Imladris, peaceful and serene as it was, she could hear nothing save for the chirps of crickets and the distant sound of running water. It was not quite the same.

She hadn't thought of what Haldir had said to her until this morning. She had been so exhausted the night before that she had fallen asleep almost instantly. If only she had remained in that state, but instead she woke several times, tossing and turning and pacing around her room. Elves did not need much sleep, but stress and exhaustion affected them much the same as their human counterparts. What she wouldn't give this morning for a cup of coffee. Did they have that in Middle-Earth? Perhaps she would request the strongest tea possible at breakfast.

Breakfast! It was still early, just after dawn, but she did not want to be late. Holly dressed quickly in her simple blue healer's gown and donned her boots. She pulled her hair into her favoured side braid and washed her face quickly. She glanced at her appearance in the mirror. No bags under her eyes, no dark circles. Ah, these elves had it too easy. During her human days she'd have looked quite the sight right about now, but in her current form she looked no worse for wear. Thank Elbereth for small mercies.

Holly left her chambers and shut the door quietly behind her so as not to disturb any of her neighbours. She walked down the hall and past Haldir's door. She paused ever so quickly, but upon not sensing any movement from inside, determined that he must have already gone down to the dining hall for breakfast. She would likely find him there, or perhaps already on the training grounds. Haldir often rose before the sun, strange elf that he was.

Holly managed to recall the way to the dining hall without too much trouble. As she entered, she was offered a hot beverage in a earthenware mug by one of the serving elves. She took it gratefully and thanked the elf, who simply nodded and gestured for her to enter the hall. With her mug of mystery beverage in hand, she made her way to the table and plopped herself beside an elf with very familiar silvery-blonde hair. Haldir looked over to her and smiled,

"Good morning, _elanor._ " he said, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he spoke. Holly furrowed her brows in confusion,

"Who is _elanor_?" she asked, setting her cup down beside the plate in front of her, eyeing the fruits and nuts and assortments of spreads and jams for bread greedily.

Haldir raised a hand let his fingers entwine themselves in a lock of her hair, which had come loose from her braid and hung by her cheek. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she felt his fingertips almost imperceptibly graze her cheekbone. "You know what _elanor_ is. I call you _elanor_ for that is what you smell like."

Holly sniffed the end of her braid, "I do?"

Haldir nodded, "Always."

"I guess it's the hair soap I use. I don't really know where it came from, it was given to me when I first arrived in Lothlorien and I've somehow found my stores of it constantly replenished ever since." she answered with a shrug, "I'm glad you like it."

Haldir glanced around quickly and seeing that no one was in the immediate vicinity save for some elves she did not recognize, he picked up her hand in his and brought her knuckles to his lips, leaving a soft kiss there before saying, "I do, it reminds me of home."

Holly resisted the urge to launch her face at his, it was only just after dawn, after all. Instead she gave him a soft smile from behind lowered lids, allowing her eyes to flutter closed as he kissed the back of her hand. He pulled his hand down slowly but did not let go of hers, and instead clasped as he continued to pick at what was left of his breakfast. Although impractical, Holly was also loathe to wiggle her hand from his grip, and opted instead to eat and drink one-handed for the time being.

She sipped at the hot drink in the mug that had been given to her. It tasted fresh and invigorating. It did not have the comforting effect of a hot cup of coffee, but as with most elvish things created with a specific purpose, it succeeded in energizing her just enough. She swirled the warm liquid around in her mouth, tasting the fresh fruitiness and the distinctly 'green' flavour,

"Haldir, do you know what this is" she asked thoughtfully, trying to pick apart the flavours and guess before he could answer. He took the cup from her and sniffed it, then took a small sip,

"It is a tea made in Imladris, one of Lord Elrond's own concoctions. I have not been able to find it in either Lothlorien or Mirkwood, though I think Galadriel has some in her own personal stores. Lord Elrond will not reveal all of the ingredients, but I always thought I could taste nettle, elderflower and some sort of berry."

"Maybe he'll share his secrets with me today!" Holly said enthusiastically, reminding Haldir of her first lesson with Lord Elrond. He set the cup down and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. Holly suppressed a sigh,

"Are you looking forward to your first lesson?" he asked her, clearing the last of the fruit from his plate. Holly finished chewing her own morsel before swallowing exaggeratedly,

"A little nervous, to be quite honest." she answered. Haldir gave her a sympathetic smile,

"Having taken lessons from Lord Elrond myself, I can assure you that while he is a very exacting instructor, you will find that he is far more diplomatic than Nestarion. If you have gotten used to our Healer's ways, I'm sure you will find Lord Elrond more than tolerable." he answered, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. Holly shrugged him off,

"No, I'm not exactly worried about Lord Elrond, I'm more worried about myself." she answered quietly.

"You're nervous that you will not perform to his expectations? That you will not rise to meet the reputation that precedes you?" he asked, rather bluntly, she thought. Holly raised her eyebrows,

"You don't mince your words, do you?" she said dryly. Haldir smiled and shook his head,

"No, no. I do not mean to say that this is the truth of the matter, only that I understand your fears. I do not think you have anything to fear. The Lady would not have sent you here if you were not ready." he said. Holly only nodded along, "Unless that is not really what you are afraid of?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. Haldir rolled his eyes,

"Come, now, Holly, we both know you are far too intelligent and self-aware for me to believe you do not know why you are truly nervous." he said, giving her a look of shrewd disbelief. Holly rolled her eyes back at him,

"If you're talking about the mystery that is my parentage, then yes, that is exactly why I'm nervous. I'm not sure I'm ready to know all of this." she said, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. Haldir let out a quiet sigh, though it did not sound exasperated or impatient,

"You have nothing to fear. It's not as though Lord Elrond would simply...spring that kind of sensitive information on you. I'm sure he will only offer what he knows when you inquire." he said. Holly nodded but said nothing. She left the last of her fruits and nuts on her plate and picked it up, getting to her feet. Haldir followed suit and followed her to the dais that led out of the room. Holly set her plate down on the small cart by the door, mimicking Haldir's practised motions.

"I should go," she began, turning back toward him, wringing her hands in front of her, "I don't want to be late meeting Lord Elrond."

"Do you know where you're going?" Haldir asked her, amused.

"Err, not quite." she said sheepishly, letting out a quiet giggle. Haldir shook his head and offered her his arm. Holly took it and allowed him to lead her down the main hall and down the set of stairs they had first come up on their arrival. Holly tried to memorize the route so she could find her way back later. Haldir was walking slowly, slower than she wanted to be going. He wanted to speak to her, she could tell. It was practically radiating off of him. He wasn't nervous, only determined. She prepared herself mentally for the conversation that she knew was coming.

He had brought her to a small garden. It was nestled in a cozy enclave surrounded by stone walls covered in several varieties of vines and ivies. Haldir pointed to a door down the hallway they had just walked down and said, "That is Lord Elrond's study," he then pointed at a larger, double door a few feet down from the smaller one, "And that is where you can find the Houses of Healing."

Holly nodded, "Great, thank you. I guess I should be going."

Haldir pulled her arm gently and guided her toward a stone slab bench along one of the stone walls, "Not yet, if you don't mind. I wish to speak to you."

Holly gulped and gave a short nod. She found that suddenly her mouth was very dry. She sat down beside him on the bench and placed her hands under her thighs to stop their shaking. She waited for him to begin and he needed no encouragement, launching into what was clearly a prepared statement,

"Holly," he began slowly. Holly wondered if she could detect a slight waver in his voice, but brushed the thought aside, "Holly, I want you to know that I care for you a great deal."

Holly's heart felt like it was flying into her throat. She felt suddenly incapable of speaking. Was he about to break up with her before they even got together? She had been nervous to have this discussion with him, but not because she didn't like him, but because she was anxious about what that meant for them. This, she had not been expecting. Haldir seemed to sense her concern and he immediately shook his head,

"I can see I phrased that badly and that similar phrases are _also_ used in your world when one is trying to...cut someone loose, so to speak." he said with a smile. He reached out and took her wrist in his hand and pulled her hand out from under her leg. "That is not what I meant, quite the opposite, in fact."

"Oh?" was all she could manage, before he continued on.

"I only meant that, well, I care for you a great deal. You are beautiful, and kind, and intelligent, and a wonderful mystery to me."

Holly's breath hitched in her throat. She inched her face toward his almost involuntarily. His hand came up to touch her cheek, his thumb grazing over he lower lip.

"You know, I believe, that is it customary for elves to take lovers, have relationships...before bonding themselves to another." he whispered, his mouth so very close to hers. She nodded, but not enough to shake his hand from her face. He was still holding one of her hands in his. She removed the other from under her leg and brought it to his thigh, resting it there. She saw his chest heave as he took a deep breath, "And what I am trying to say is that while I do not know where this will go, I would like to find out."

He closed the distance between them and kissed her deeply. Holly threw her arms around his neck and clutched at his hair, deepening the kiss. His arms moved to snake around her waist and before she knew it, he had hoisted her onto his lap, on hand resting on her hip, the other pulling her closer to him. He tasted of fruits and the tea they had sampled this morning. His lips were soft, but demanding against her own. She felt his tongue run softly across her bottom lip and shivered in delight. Holly felt him smirk against her lips at her reaction. She let out a raspy giggle she felt his urgency growing beneath her. He pulled back and cocked his signature eyebrow at her, "I do not enjoy being laughed at."

Holly smiled and placed a soft peck on the tip of his nose, "I know."

Haldir shook his head, a few strands of hair falling out of his neat braids, likely a result of her roaming hands, "Are you going to answer me or keep laughing at me?"

"Wasn't that an answer?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. He laughed and rested his forehead against hers, his hands now resting gently on her waist. Holly relished the warm feeling and wished they never had to move from this place.

"Not an explicit one, no." he answered with a challenging look that said 'I'm not letting you joke your way out of this one'. Holly let out a small sigh,

"If I must answer you _explicitly,_ I would say 'ditto'." she answered. Haldir looked confused,

"What is ditto?" he asked. Holly smiled,

"It means 'same for me,' or 'me too'."

Haldir returned her smile and bestowed a small kiss on her lips. They sat there for a few more moments, alternating kissing and simply holding each other. Holly felt relieved. She had been worried that he would tell her that he was simply having fun, or wasn't looking for anything serious, or something of the like. It was a foolish thing to think, for while she knew that elves were not monks or saints, neither were they loose or free with their affections. Lovers were common amongst unattached elves, she knew this, but it was never without affection and caring. In short, elves took lovers, but only lovers they cared for. Taking a lover was a test, an experiment before deciding whether or not to bond with another. Once bonded, their union was eternal, physical, mental and all-encompassing. There was no turning back and their fea would remain linked together forever.

She no longer felt nervous and anxious while looking at him, only bold and excited. She wanted to know him more, not as friends and not in the nerve-wracking way they had grown closer while travelling together. Not tip-toeing around each other and existing in a constant state of uncertainty and tension.

"Holly, I would like to court you. Formally." he said, finally, releasing her waist and taking her hands in his again. Holly blinked,

"Formally? As in what? We must be escorted by a chaperone at all times? You request permission to see me? Discuss my dowry with my parents? Good luck with that, by the way." she said sarcastically. Haldir shook his head with a laugh,

"Is that what courting means in the human world? In your world?" he asked.

"In the human world here, I don't know. It's not like that at home either, at least not anymore." she answered.

"It has changed?" he asked, inviting her to elaborate.

"Yes, it used to be very structured like that, with couples not being able to spend any time alone together before marriage. But things are very different now. There aren't really any rules anymore, people just do as they please. You can be lovers without having any sort of formal relationship, but a lot of people choose only to have a physical relationship with those they care for." she explained, trying not to stutter over the words 'physical' and 'relationship'.

Haldir nodded in understanding "Then in this your ways are very similar to those of the _eldar._ " he said. "Holly, I want you to know that I do not expect us to rush in. We have eternity."

"I know," she said, with a smile. She climbed off of his lap at last, much to Haldir's chagrin. He stood and offered his hands to help her up. She took them and allowed herself to be pulled up by his strong arms. He pulled her forward to him and held her against his chest,

"I look forward to it." he said. Holly cocked her head to the side,

"To what, Haldir?" she asked.

"To seeing where this goes." he replied. Holly, far more confident than before, leaned in and pressed a soft, confirmative kiss on his lips.

* * *

After their little chat, Haldir had left Holly at Lord Elrond's door, promising that he would be at the training grounds all day if ever she needed him. Holly stood there now, nervous but prepared to face her new instructor and formidable Lord of Imladris. Emboldened by her fruitful conversation with Haldir and far less preoccupied than before, she felt ready, at last. She rapped at the door quickly and awaited an answer. After a brief moment, she heard a distant 'come in', and pushed the heavy door open.

Lord Elrond's office was spectacular. There were plants everywhere, on every table, every shelf, on the floor and hanging from the high ceilings. _How do they water those?_ She wondered. For every plant she saw, there was also a loose book laying around on tables, chairs and coffee tables. In a corner, seated at a large writing desk, she saw Lord Elrond, nearly hidden away by another pile of books. Suddenly, as though on just noticing her, he sprang to his feet and glided his way over to where she stood. With a hand on his heart he gave a small bow. Holly returned the gesture with a polite smile,

"Thank you, Lord Elrond, for agreeing to teach me." she managed to say despite her awe of him. Not unlike at their first meeting, Lord Elrond emanated an aura of wisdom and deep knowledge and understanding. Although his face was ageless, as with all other elves, his eyes held a familiar quality that she had only ever seen in the faces of the wise – Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn and Mithrandir himself. Elrond bestowed his kindest smile on her and she felt immediately reassured,

"It is a pleasure. Lady Galadriel has spoken very highly of you and your progress. And, of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to meet the recently returned _Ercassiel._ " he said, gesturing for her to sit down on the sofa nearest them. She did, and he sat across from her on a large, comfortable looking chaise.

"I realize that I am quite an oddity. I have only recently come to terms with my past, as well." she answered. Elrond nodded thoughtfully,

"Yes, of course. I am sure it has all been quite a lot to take in. No matter, there will be plenty of time for that. You must be growing accustomed to the concept of 'forever', but believe me when I say we have plenty of time to discuss that." he answered. With those words, letting her know that the ball was in her court, or so to speak, Holly exhaled a sigh of relief. "You are here to learn. Shall we begin?"

Holly nodded, "Yes, I'd like that."

"Very well, let us begin with the plants. As you can see, I cultivate many myself..."

With that, Holly was immersed, thrown-in, engulfed and enraptured.

* * *

"This?" asked Elrond, pointing at a dark, leafy plant with small spines along the edges of the rounded leaves. Holly screwed up her nose in thought,

" _Delugwin,_ Fellvine." she answered confidently. Elrond nodded and pointed to another plant, a few feet away, "Easy – _athelas,_ Kingsfoil."

"Good. Uses?" he asked. Holly thought for a moment,

"Poisons, staving off inflammation, pestilence, fever, and wounds of dark magic. A very powerful, potent herb."

"Yes." he answered simply, before pointing to another plant. They went on like this for most of the afternoon. The morning had been spent learning the names of the plants and their specific uses, and now he seemed to be administering a 'quiz' of some sort. Elrond was insistent that she be able to codify and identify all of the relevant herbs and medicinal plants before she be allowed to administer them to patients. Only after would they move on to more sophisticated forms of healing. Elrond was a firm believer in the profound power and confidence that knowledge brought, and while he was pleased with the knowledge she had acquired from Nestarion, he saw much room for improvement and expansion. Holly was drinking it all in, absorbing the newness of it all like a sponge. Soon it was time to end their first lesson. Holly had been so focused on her new work she had forgotten to eat. Her stomach growled in a very un-elf-like way and she only shrugged in apology. Lord Elrond's previously serious face broke into a very fatherly smile and she gestured toward the door,

"I believe we can end here for the day. Forgive me, I was so caught up I neglected our lunch. I will have some food brought to us during future lessons." he said, guiding her toward the door.

"Thank you, it's fine, really. I was often guilty of the same thing in Lothlorien. Nestarion would always threaten to have me thrown from the healing _telain_ if I could not remember to eat. He said it affected my focus." she answered.

"A wise elf, Nestarion. Shall we meet here again at the same time tomorrow? Perhaps we may continue this way, lessons for two days then a day to yourself, to enjoy your time in Imladris. I'm sure Haldir would be very grateful if I released his companion to him on occasion." he said, with a knowing smile. Holly was suddenly keenly aware of how close to his study she and Haldir had been that morning.

"That would be fine." she responded, opening the great wooden door. "Thank you for today."

"You're welcome, child. I look forward to your next lesson." he answered, closing the door behind her.

Holly made her way down the hall, trying to remember the route Haldir had shown her this morning. Once she found her way to the dining hall, which was at the centre of Imladris, she could find her way to her chambers, or to the training grounds where she thought she might find Haldir. She had no idea what time it was, but she felt it must be nearer to dinner time, judging by just _how_ hungry she felt.

After a few moments and only one wrong turn, she saw the familiar dais of the dining hall. To the left of her, then, would be the path that brought one down to the main gates and the training grounds, archery fields and stables. Holly picked up her skirts and made her way there at a brisk pace. She could hear the clang of steel on steel before she even saw the spar. She rounded the corner and saw a flurry of black and blonde hair, the sight of two elven warriors sparring. Blonde hair being rather uncommon in Imladris, she recognized one of the elves immediately. It was Haldir, sparring with an elf she did not recognize. On the edge of the training grounds sat several _elleth,_ as well as the Peredhel twins.

Holly made her way over to the twins and sat down on the grass beside them. One of them, she could not tell which, bumped her shoulder with his and wiggled his eyebrows in the direction of Haldir and his currently nameless opponent. _Elladan, then._ Holly realized why – they were sparring shirtless, their chests hardly glistening with sweat, and the gaggle of she-elves sat on the edge of the grounds were swooning and fawning over the mysterious arrival of their Marchwarden from Lothlorien.

"Eru, I envy the _elleth_ of Lorien for having such a protector." said one, a pretty brown-haired _elleth_ with green-blue eyes. Her friend beside her sighed,

"These Silvan elves are much broader than the Noldor. What I wouldn't give to be held in such strong arms."

Holly choked back a laugh, glancing at Elladan with a smirk.

"Still, Ruthion is fairing quite well against him and shows no signs of tiring." said the brown-haired one. Her darker-haired friend made a tutting sound,

"Yes, but the Marchwarden looks as though he could go on forever. He is practically toying with Ruthion!" she exclaimed, both in awe and in frustration. Suddenly the spar seemed to end, with both elves consenting to a tie. It seemed unlike Haldir to agree to a standstill, but she supposed he was being respectful in the realm of his kinsfolk. He bowed to the dark-haired Ruthion and ran a hand through his now-loose hair. He sheathed his sword at his belt and raised his head to look straight ahead. Seeing Holly sitting there, beside Elladan, his face broke into a smile.

The _ellyth_ sighed in delight, and so did Holly.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Here's another update for you. I'm not very sure about this chapter, but I felt like things needed to move forward a little bit. Please tell me what you think about the pacing, as I'm not too sure, myself.

I've worked out a little more of where this story will go, so that's good news for you. Not much more to say than that :) I'm participating in NaNoWriMo this year, so bear with me if my fic updates are a little slow in the month of November, as my focus will definitely be on my novel. I promise to update, though :) To everyone who reviewd and followed and favourited, thank you! Please continue to pester me in reviews, they're very motivating :) xoxo


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Holly noticed Haldir's tunic laying on the grass beside her. As he walked over she held it out to him. He took it with a smile and sat down beside her. Holly could see the other two _ellith_ eyeing her with envy.

 _"Good afternoon."_ he said in Sindarin, pulling his shirt over his head. Holly could practically feel the disappointed sigh from the she-elves beside her. _"Did you have a nice lesson?"_

Holly gave him a dry look, _"I learned about many plants and their uses. I suspect that tomorrow we shall learn more plant and more uses."_

 _"That sounds...useful."_ Haldir answered with a wink. Elladan chuckled from her other side,

 _"That is father. It would not surprise me if it took him a year to go through all the plants in his repertoire."_

Holly let her head hang down, covering her eyes with her hands, _"No, I hope not! It may be...useful, as you say, but it's not very interesting."_

Haldir put his arm around her shoulder and gave her upper arm a squeezed. She leaned into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. The two _ellyth_ sitting nearby eyed her with interest. They were lovely, dark-haired Noldorin elves. One had sparkling grey eyes and a chiseled face with high cheekbones and a proud, straight nose. Her hair was the shadowy-brown of the Peredhel. The other was more warmly-toned, with deep, chocolatey brown hair and wide, grey-green eyes. It was the first _elleth_ who spoke to them,

 _"Good day, my name is Finiel. This is my sister, Indis. You are from Lothlorien, are you not?"_ she asked with a polite smile. Holly nodded,

 _"Yes, I was asked to come here by the Lady Galadriel to learn from Lord Elrond. I am an apprentice healer."_ she said, gesturing to her blue robes and the green stains on her hands from testing and playing with poultices all morning. _"Haldir, here, was sent with me as an escort."_

 _"And to keep you out of trouble."_ he added with a laugh. Holly rolled her eyes at him,

"I think we both know who is the trouble maker here." she said, switching to common. Haldir feigned insult,

"My life was very normal before you came along. I went on patrols, I went on walks, I served the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. Now look at my life." he said, gesticulatIing wildly. Holly laughed.

" _Improved a bit, has it?"_

Haldir nodded emphatically. _"Ai, so it has."_

 _"What is this? Secrets spoken in common?"_ Elrohir asked, giving the two a curious look.

 _"Yes, what has improved?"_ Elladan asked teasingly. Haldir gave Holly a reproachful look, she shrugged, throwing the ball back in his court.

 _"Holly's Sindarin. Has she not become very accomplished?"_ he asked. Indis and Finiel nodded emphatically, bobbing their heads politely in agreement.

 _"Are you not a native speaker? I detected an accent, but truly you speak very well. Indeed, I simply mistook it for a Silvan accent. But you do not have the Silvan look of your companion."_ Indis added, peppering Holly with questions about her clearly mysterious origins. An elf that did not speak Sindarin? An elf from Lothlorien with dark hair? A strange accent?

 _"No, my family is from Edhellond. I am only recently arrived to Lothlorien."_ she answered hesitantly, unsure as to whether or not she wanted to explain the entire story. She had been trying to follow Lady Galadriel's advice about openness and honesty regarding her past, trusting that those who would become true friends would welcome her into their lives nonetheless, but she found it a difficult thing to explain to others. She hoped these _ellith_ would be satisfied with this answer, but unfortunately, they were not.

 _"Edhellond! That is very strange, I thought it abandoned by the Eldar for nearly a millenia."_ said Finiel, surprise etched all over her face. Haldir gave Holly an encouraging look, gently reminding her of Lady Galadriel's words.

"I will explain in Common, if you don't mind. I do not think my Sindarin vocabulary is strong enough to manage this tale. It's a rather strange story, but the long and short of it is that my parents were from Imladris and were living in Edhellond when they decided to sail to the Undying Lands with my sister and I. We were very young at the time. We were attacked by corsairs from Umbar and my parents were killed." the _ellyth_ gasped at this, reminding Holly again of how unused these elves were to loss, "The Valar saw fit to save my sister and I, transporting us to another realm to be raised by humans. My sister remained behind while I was returned to Middle-Earth."

Elladan and Elrohir jointly translated the tale to the two _ellyth_ , whose expressions of shock and awe and confusion were comically un-elf-like to Holly. It would seem that even the elves were not immune to a strange tale.

 _"But why were you returned? And how?"_ Finiel asked, enraptured. Holly shrugged,

 _"Truthfully, I do not know. I was returned by the Valar, I believe. With the aid of Mithrandir I was able to understand my past. The Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn provided me with a home. I am happy to have returned to Middle-Earth. It is home now."_ she said, wishing she had more answers for Finiel and Indis. She looked over to Haldir, who was watching her intently. It was true, she was home now. Lothlorien was her home, her life was here, in Middle-Earth.

 _"That is a tale, indeed."_ said Indis. Holly could not quite read the expression on her face, but tried to remain unphased. _"When you arrive here?"_

Holly looked at Haldir for an answer but he furrowed his brow in thought, _"I think it has been nearly ten months? It shall soon be a year, when autumn returns."_

 _"Has it really been that long?"_ Holly asked in disbelief. She knew now that she had arrived in autumn, when the leaves on the _mellyrn_ were golden. They had left Lorien in the spring and summer was now creeping up on them. _"It seems like yesterday."_

 _"I remember the day I found you."_ Haldir said.

 _"Do you really?"_ Holly asked happily, waiting for him to tell the story. Finiel, Indis, Elladan and Elrohir all leaned in to listen to the tale of how _Ercassiel_ was found on the outskirts of the Golden Wood. Haldir nodded,

 _"Yes, I was on a very routine patrol when we came upon a very oddly dressed elleth in the middle of the wood. She fainted in front of me and when she woke, she accused me of holding her hostage and thought elves did not exist. She was difficult and irate and I wanted very little to do with her."_ he began. Holly swatted his arm. He ignored her and continued, _"Lady Galadriel requested I show her Lothlorien."_

 _"And you did, the very best parts."_ she said warmly, finding his hand resting on the ground and squeezing it lightly.

They stayed there a little while longer, chatting with Finiel and Indis and the twins, watching the _ellyn_ training in the fields. Haldir would occasionally get up to correct someone or assist in the training (as it turned out, and Holly should have expected this, but the Marchwarden of Lothlorien was somewhat of a _big deal_ among the elves, and many a warrior were eager to learn from him). Eventually Finiel and Indis bid them a good day and left. Holly was pleased to have made some new friends. Finiel, as it turned out, worked with Lord Erestor in the archives and served as his apprentice. Indis was quite young, only just two-hundred years old, but was gearing up to join Imladris' patrol. They had been on the training ground that day so that she may observe the warriors. This year, in the autumn, she would be eligible to begin training as a member of the guard. Elladan, who was captain of the guard himself as Lord Elrond's son, took note and promised to pay special attention to her amongst the new recruits.

As the four them, Holly and Haldir, and Elladan and Elrohir, were making their way back to the main hall of the Last Homely House, Elrohir made mention of the famed Hall of Fire.

"I believe Adar intends for there to be some sort of festivities this evening in the Hall of Fire. I believe you know of it, there will be wine and song and dancing, if you enjoy that sort of thing" he said, gesturing to a large room behind giant, wooden doors, adjacent to the main dining hall. "I shall be in attendance, I believe my brother and sister will be there, as well as some others you may be interested in meeting."

"I don't believe we have any other plans." Holly said tentatively, looking to Haldir for confirmation. He nodded and agreed,

"I would never miss an opportunity to visit the Hall of Fire. It has no equal in any of the elven realms." he said.

"Excellent, then we will see you after dinner. Until then!" Elrohir said jovially. He beamed at them and his brother matched his expression. Holly wasn't sure if she would ever grown accustomed to the way these elves looked when they smiled, or the magical, unearthly quality to their features.

They were alone now, her an Haldir. Standing in the hallway, between the entrance to the Hall of Fire and the dining hall. It was the middle of the afternoon and there were still several hours before they would be expected to join the others for the evening meal. "What should we do now?" she asked him.

"I was going to read for a while. I picked up a book from Lord Elrond's library this morning that I was looking forward to starting." Haldir said.

"Hmm, alright. I'm sure I can find something to occupy myself with. Lord Elrond said he would have several books brought to my room for me to study. I suppose I could do that." she said. Haldir looked at her expectantly, though she did not know why, "What is it?"

"If you're going to read...and I'm going to read...why do we not read together?" he asked as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Don't look at me like that! Maybe you fancied spending the afternoon on your own." she said with a shrug. He shook his head,

"No, I fancy spending it with you." he said, taking her hand and leading her down the hall and toward the guest chambers.

"Where are we going?" she asked, having a sneaking suspicion of where he was taking her.

"To my rooms." he said, without further explanation.

Holly allowed herself to swept down the hall without question.

* * *

An hour later, Holly and Haldir could be found (but were unlikely to be) reclined on his bed, each reading their respective books. Haldir had his back up against the headboard of his large bed – Holly was positioned between his legs, reclined against his chest. The considerable height difference between them meant that he was able to read his book just above her head, and she was able to read hers just above her lap. He had one arm draped over her chest, his fingers toying idly with her hair. She was holding up her book with one hand, the other rested on his thigh, tracing little circles there.

Every once in a while Holly became aware of where she was and who she was with, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Every time he touched the skin of her neck, or placed a lazy kiss on the top of her head, her heart skipped a beat. She thought back to all those nights on the road from Lothlorien to Imladris, to imagining what this would feel like. Now she was here, in his arms, and despite the concrete, corporeal touch, she still felt as though she was walking in a dream.

She found that she could not focus on what she was reading. It seemed like she had read the passage about native plants of Southern Gondor twenty times and never taken any information in. She sighed, and her sigh did no go unnoticed.

"Feeling forlorn, _Ercassiel_?" Haldir asked her. She could not see his face but she could feel the smirk in his words.

"What did I say about calling me that?" she asked with no small amount of annoyance. She felt the deep rumble of his laughter in his chest. The sound reverberated through her back and warmed her heart. "No, I just can't seem to focus on anything I'm reading."

"Why is that?" he asked, shutting his book and letting it fall down on the bed beside him. Holly shut her book too and craned her neck to look at him.

"Because I can't stop thinking about the position I am in at this moment." she said, the intimacy of their position emboldening her. Haldir made no move.

"Is that right?" he asked quietly. Holly sat up slightly and twisted herself so that she was sitting on her knees, still between his legs. He straightened up, his back leaving the headboard. He was closer to her now, and he brought his hands up to the sides of her face. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his, bringing one of her hands to his waist, the other rest on his chest. She was leaning into him now, and his hands had moved so they were gripping her hips. He deepened the kiss and she let out an involuntary sigh. He smiled against her lips and shifted the both of them so they were laying down, face to face, never breaking the kiss.

Holly pressed one of her legs between his, entwining their limbs together. His arms were wrapped around her torso, hands leaving a hot trail down her back. Her arms were around his neck, her hands buried in his hair, slowly undoing his braids. He released her mouth and bent his head to leave hot kisses on her neck and jaw. Holly threw her head back to grant him easier access, her heartbeat quickening with every touch of his lips. Her hands, as if of their own accord, moved to the belt that held his tunic down, fingers grappling with the buckle to undo it. With the fastenings undone, she slid one hand underneath his tunic to touch the soft skin of his belly. She heard his breath hitch in his throat, his grip on her waist tightening in one hand, the other hand flying to her thigh and bringing it further up his leg.

Her breathing was becoming more laboured now, and she could feel Haldir's ragged breath against her neck. There was a loud rap on the door. Haldir groaned loudly.

"This had better be important." he said, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. Without moving his head and speaking into to her neck, he yelled, _"Who is it!"_

 _"It is Elrohir! Have you seen Holly? Arwen is looking for her."_ he said loudly, sounding exasperated. _"Can't I come in?"_

 _"No!"_ Haldir called out. It was Holly's turn to groan.

"You're yelling in my ear, you know!" she whispered into his ear. On a whim, she kissed the tip the tip of his ear, eliciting a groan of pleasure from the elf in bed with her. She let out a giggle and he clasped his hand over her mouth,

"Hush." he whispered to her, then raised his head to call back to Elrohir, who was still waiting for a response. _"Tell Arwen to check her room!"_

 _"Alright...thank you."_ the disembodied voice behind the door said. Holly could hear the sound of his boots on the stone floor, slowing moving further away.

"I guess I should go back to my room then." she said, slightly annoyed at having been interrupted. Haldir gave her an apologetic look,

"I did not want to stop, believe me. But we should. It is not the right time, I do not want to rush."

"We have eternity." she reiterated, quoting his words from earlier. "But I hope it won't take that long."

He laughed, "Somehow, I doubt it."

Holly sat up on the bed, smoothing the skirts of her simple dress. "Alright, I'll go see what it is that Arwen wants. Will I see you for dinner?"

"Of course. I will come get you." he said, before giving her another lingering kiss. Holly resisted the urge to push him back onto the bed and stood up.

"I'll see you later, then." she said, her hand on the latch of the door.

"Later." he confirmed with a smile. Holly opened the door and stepped into the hall. She turned to look down the hall before stepping two feet over and into her own room, when she saw Arwen making her way down the hall, long strides making a bee-line toward her. Holly cringed inwardly, realizing that the Evenstar was no simpleton and knew exactly where she had been. Holly greeted the _elleth_ happily nonetheless,

"Good afternoon, Lady Arwen." she said, putting her hand over her heart and bowing her head in greeting. Arwen returned the gesture but shook her head, her long, curtain of dark hair shimmering as it bounced and rippled over her shoulders with the movement.

"Please, call me Arwen. I hope I did not disturb you. I only came to see if you had anything to wear to the Hall of Fire tonight. I know you and the Marchwarden travelled lightly, so I suspect you have few gowns with you, if any at all." she said, gesturing the blue healer's gown Holly wore.

Holly sighed with relief, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that at all! Good thing you're here or I would have sought you out in a panic later."

Arwen smiled sympathetically, "I know what it is to travel and have limited wardrobe choices. If you want to come with me, we can see if there is something of mine that will suit you. I am only a little taller than you, my gowns should do well on you."

Holly nodded and followed Arwen down the hall, presumably toward her chambers, but not before taking a quick look backward, her eyes on the door to Haldir's chambers. She wondered what he was thinking about now. She let out a quiet giggle, then turned her attentions back to the elven princess.

* * *

A/N: Woo! An update! A short one this time, I'm trying to focus on NaNoWriMo this month, but I promised I would get back to regular updates. Another little fun one for now, before we get into a little of the heavy (don't worry, we will be learning about Holly's parentage soon enough, but first, a little wine and song and dancing!). Please let me know how you are liking things so far, I really appreciate detailed feedback! To everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited, THANK YOU! It really keeps me going. Special thanks to a certain someone who read my story from the beginning, reviewing every single chapter along the way. You know who you are! Your feedback and encouragement was much appreciated :) I also love your stories, by the way! xoxo


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